EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif — During the winter season the California Department of Water Resources gathers data from a snowy meadow near Echo Summit to gauge the snowpack and estimate future water supplies for the region.
This February 2022 the survey shows 109% of the average for the month and 78% of the April 1 average. The distinct lack of recent snow has taken most of the Sierra snowpack outside of the area below average for the season so far, but not by much.
California's snowpack is typically one-third of the water supply for the year and its beneficial melting cycle occurs in spring as water usage typically ramps up.
December was one for the record books with some Sierra snow stations reporting more than 200 inches of snow for the month and most Sierra snow sites were well over 150% of average.
As you get deeper into the season you get a true estimate of how much water you can expect as the typical snow season starts to wrap up in early April. If there are large storms in April, the department may conduct one more survey in May.
Statewide, California has many other snow reporting stations to give a better metric for snow and how much water will be available.
The most useful metric is the April 1 average and how far along the state is. As of Feb. 1, California has received 57% of its April 1 average indicating that the state has more than half the snowpack we typically see in an entire season.
The numbers will surely dip in the coming weeks as no new snow is expected in the near term.
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