Sierra Snowpack Is Huge And Melting Fast – What That Means For Spring Flooding

The wettest winter in Northern California history ended the drought and produced an abundant Sierra Nevada snowpack. Now it’s starting to melt, and quickly. As state officials completed the final snowpack survey of the season Monday, forecasters predicted high river flows throughout spring into midsummer. The federal government’s California Nevada River Forecast Center said the undammed Merced River, which flows through the Yosemite Valley, could rise above flood stage this week. The flooding could create “nuisance” impacts such as closing access roads or campgrounds in the national park, said the forecast center’s hydrologist Alan Haynes.