Photo: KTLA5
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted its third snow survey of the season and is reporting that the Golden State’s snowpack sits at 85 percent of its average for this time of year. The report comes from the DWR just weeks before the end of what the department called a winter “marked by a series of extremes.”
That description could even apply to the disparities between snowpacks in each portion of the state. The Northern Sierra Snowpack actually sits at 104 percent of its average, but the Central and Southern Sierra sit at 80 percent and 70 percent respectively. It’s set the table for a tale of different winters for everyday skiers and snowboarders across those regions, but it will make water management throughout the state especially challenging this year.
“In addition to the large swings in snowpack conditions we’ve seen this year, a big regional disparity remains between the Northern, Central, and Southern Sierra Nevada,” said Andy Reising, manager of DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. “With so many of this season’s storms missing the southern half of the state, our statewide snowpack average can mask just how below average some regions are. Water managers will need to consider not just the extreme swings through the winter and spring months, but also the big differences from watershed to watershed.”
Photo: NWS
DWR conducts as many as five winter snowpack surveys each year, with each coming on the first of the month starting on December 1. A fifth survey is conducted on May 1, if necessary. Officials aren’t expecting March storms to push the state to 100 percent though, noting that early-season snowpacks typically start off above average with drier and warmer conditions persisting later.
“California has seen several years in recent history with large early season snow totals, only for predominantly dry conditions to dominate the rest of the season,” said the DWR.
