Surveyors ‘Ecstatic’ As Sierra Snowpack Measures 173% Of Normal

The pros in charge of California’s water system were exultant Thursday after precise measurements in the Sierra Nevada confirmed what everyone can see — heaping mounds of frozen water known as snow. The Sierra snowpack, otherwise known as the state’s frozen water supply, came in at 173 percent of normal for this point in the season. For the first time in a long time, the California water system might be able to make both farmers and environmentalists happy.