CALIFORNIA, USA — After a mostly dry early season for Northern California storms, the snow survey is showing an improving snowpack. The Department of Water Resources recorded 93% of the average snowpack for this time of year at its Phillips Station location.
A recent strong atmospheric river added 80-100” of snow for many areas of the Central Sierra, as well as lower snow levels.
The Department of Water Resources conducts five of these surveys through May by plunging a long steel tube into the snow. This measures the snow's depth and gives an estimate of its water content. The snow survey is conducted at the Phillips Station snow course near Highway 50 at the base of Sierra-at-Tahoe.
The Department of Water Resources also uses other manual and automatic snow measurements and reported a statewide average of 70% of normal snowpack for all of California for this time of year.
Winter and spring snow surveys provide valuable information to water managers. About 30% of California’s water comes from snowmelt runoff. As the water moves downstream, it fills reservoirs. These large water retention areas not only hold water for the dry, warm summer months but also provide valuable flood protection.
