(KRON) — The Department of Water Resources conducted its first snow survey of the season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada mountains on Thursday. The manual survey recorded 24 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of nine inches.
2024’s record-breaking hot and dry summer continued well into the fall, but a powerful atmospheric river in November broke several rainfall records in Northern California. A series of storms in late December dropped enough layers on the Sierra Nevada snowpack to bring it above average.
DWR’s electronic readings from 130 stations placed throughout the Sierra Nevada indicate that the statewide snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 10.7 inches, or 108 percent of average for this date, compared to 28 percent on this date last year.
Thursday’s survey at Phillips Station found snow depths that were 91 percent of average. The survey is held approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento in El Dorado County.
“We are fortunate to have had several solid snow-producing atmospheric river systems so far this season,” said DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit manager Andy Reising. “The fall was extremely dry, so our healthy snow totals are thanks to a handful of big storm systems in November and late December.”
Major reservoirs statewide are currently 121 percent of average thanks to two consecutive years of above-average snowpack conditions, officials said. The Sierra snowpack is California’s “frozen reservoir,” supplying about 30 percent of the state’s water needs.
Reising said, “We will still need additional snow building at a regular pace throughout the winter.”
As of January 2, the Northern Sierra snowpack is 160 of average, the Central Sierra is 94 percent, and the Southern Sierra is 75 percent.
“While our snowpack looks good now, we have a long way until April when our water supply picture will be more complete,” said DWR director Karla Nemeth.
(KRON) — The Department of Water Resources conducted its first snow survey of the season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada mountains on Thursday. The manual survey recorded 24 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of nine inches. 2024’s record-breaking hot and dry summer continued well into the fall, but a […]