FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – The Department of Water Resources says late winter storms increased the Sierra Nevada snowpack by nearly double but not enough to put the state on track for an average year.
Following one of the driest February’s in California history, Chief Of Snow Surveys Frank Gehrke measured the snow at Phillips Station near Lake Tahoe to find the snowpack is at 57 percent of average.
“Today’s snow survey shows that we’re still playing catch-up when it comes to our statewide water supplies,” said Gehrke. “While today’s snow survey determined that the water content is much higher than February, the state will remain well below average for the year.”
[Photo: CA DWR]
“We had a depth of snow here of 32.1 inches,” said Gehrke. “The important measurement – the water content was 12.4 inches – representing 49 percent of its long term average this location, this time of year.”
“These snowpack results – while better than they were a few weeks ago – still underscore the need for widespread careful and wise use of our water supplies,” said California Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth.
Gehrke said it while it was a good march, it was no means close to a “March Miracle.”
“Potentially we are living off of our savings from last year, so we have to be very prudent with our water use,” said Gehrke.
[File: CA DWR, April 1, 2015]
Measurements in Phillips began in 1942, and (photo above) the survey on April 1st of 2015 marked the first time there was zero snow for an April 1 measurement.
The lack of snow in 2015 was blamed on below-normal precipitation, combined with unusually warm weather, to produce meager snowfall during what was a traditional wet season.
In 2017, Governor Jerry Brown declared that California’s record-breaking five-year drought was over, but the DWR’s caution about the need for water conservation remains.
“The only thing predictable about California’s climate is that it’s unpredictable. We need to make our water system more resilient so we’re prepared for the extreme fluctuations in our water system, especially in the face of climate change,” said Nemeth.
[File, CA DWR, 1958]
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