Tag Archive for: Sierra Nevada snowpack

California Reservoirs Get Good News Amid Snowpack Update

/in , /by /Newsweekby Anna Skinner

Reservoirs across California recently received good news only weeks after a late January snowpack update from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) sparked concern. Although a series of atmospheric rivers brought heavy snow to high-elevation areas in parts of northern and central California in November and December, Southern California had an unusually dry start to the winter season. The lack of precipitation fueled wildfires in the region in January and furthered the state’s challenges with drought.

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California Reservoir Water Levels in Trouble After Unusually Dry January

/in , , /by /Newsweekby Anna Skinner

California requires “several more storms” to make up for an unusually dry January that has plagued the southern half of the state, according to State Climatologist Michael Anderson.

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California’s Rainy Season Is Here. What Does It Mean For Water Supply?

/in , , /by /10 News San Diego

After a dry start to winter, California’s rainy season is finally well under way. December downpours sent water racing through streets in coastal Ventura County and the city of Santa Barbara.

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The Innovative Ways California Is Improving Its Underground Water Storage

/in , , /by /Fox 40by Richard Sharp & Sergio Robles

As of mid-February, the Sacramento area has now received more than a foot of rain in the current water season. The rain and snowfall from this winter’s storms have been swelling rivers, adding to the Sierra Nevada snowpack and hopefully replenishing reservoirs.

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Sierra Nevada Snowpack Triples In Past Month, More Storms On The Way

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

California ushered in the New Year with a dry and disappointing snowpack in the Sierra Nevada — just 25% of the historical average. But in the month since, like the stock market and the 49ers playoff hopes, the picture has improved significantly.

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Sierra Nevada Snowpack at Lowest Level in 10 Years: What it Means for California’s Water Supply

/in , , /by /Phys.orgby Paul Rogers

California’s statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack—the source of nearly one-third of the state’s water supply—is at its lowest level in a decade, a major turnaround from last year when huge storms ended a three-year drought and buried ski resorts in massive amounts of snow.

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Breaking Boundaries: How Northern California Could Help Las Vegas During Drought

/in , , /by /The Nevada Independentby Jim Peifer

It might seem hard to imagine, but there’s a connection between water supplies in Northern California’s Sacramento region and distant cities such as Las Vegas. We may be separated by deserts and mountain ranges, but these very different places could actually share water. And with a little cooperation, all of us could survive the challenges of climate change, whether it’s a shrinking Colorado River or declining Sierra Nevada snowpack.

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Scientists Take Flight to Map California’s Vast Snowpack and Measure Flooding Threats

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Flying thousands of feet above the Sierra Nevada in a plane equipped with specialized imaging devices, Elizabeth Carey has been scanning the mountains with lasers to precisely map the snow.

The snow blanketing the Sierra lies so deep that the mountain range looks surprisingly swollen and “puffy,” said Carey, who leads the flights as part of a state-funded program.

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Snow Surveys Help Plan Snowmelt Runoff Forecasts

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby California Department of Water Resources

The California Department of Water Resources May 1 conducted the fifth snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 59 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 30 inches, which is 241% of average for this location on May 1.

The last time there was measurable snow at the Phillips snow course on May 1 was 2020, when only 1.5 inches of snow and .5 inches of snow water equivalent was measured.

DWR’s electronic readings from 130 snow sensors placed throughout the state indicate the statewide snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 49.2 inches, or 254% of average for May 1.

The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water still contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply run-off forecast.

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Epic Snowpack Upends Rhythms of Life for Many Species in Sierra Nevada Range

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Louis Sahagún

The Big Melt is finally underway in the Sierra Nevada range, and soon there will be few wild places beyond the reach of water sounds: dripping, gurgling and roaring as runoff flows from lofty peaks to sage plains below.

But the whiplash change from extreme drought to epic snowpack is having very different consequences for a variety of species.

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