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California Sees Biggest June Snowpack In Nearly A Decade Thanks To Spring Storms

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hannah Fry

During a weekend that’s widely known as the unofficial start of summer in California, visitors who trekked to Lake Tahoe for Memorial Day were met with a flurry of snowflakes that turned the landscape into a winter wonderland in May. The storm responsible for the late-season snow in the Sierra Nevada town was one in a series of chilly spring systems that kept temperatures low following a marathon wet winter that filled reservoirs and streams and brought once-dry waterfalls back to life in the region.

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California Snowpack 202% Of Average For This Time Of Year

/in , , /by /AP News

The amount of snow blanketing the Sierra Nevada is even larger than the 2017 snowpack that pulled the state out of a five-year drought, California water officials said. As of Thursday, the snowpack measured 202% of average after a barrage of storms throughout winter and spring, according to the Department of Water Resources. The wet weather has slowed but not stopped, with thunderstorms prompting flash flood warnings Sunday in the central and southern parts of the state. At this time last year, the snowpack measured 6% of average — making this year 33 times bigger than 2018, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

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As Late-Season Wet Weather Hits Northern California, Snowpack And Reservoir Levels Soar

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Claire Morgan

Northern California rain and snow levels have soared with record wet weather in May, leaving the Sierra with higher-than-normal snowpack levels and pushing several reservoirs toward full capacity. Downtown Sacramento already has broken record rainfall numbers in May, with more than 3.42 inches of rain this month, according to National Weather Service forecaster Karl Swanberg. The previous record of 3.25 inches was set in 1889. Current statewide snowpack levels are being recorded at 20 inches of “snow water equivalent,” the depth of water that would result if the snowpack melted at once, a figure that is 167 percent above average for this time of year, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

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Mammoth Mountain received record snowfall in May 2019. Photo: Mammoth Mountain, Inc. California Reservoirs

California Reservoirs Near Capacity in May

/in , /by

It has been a winter – and spring – for the record books, for California reservoirs and ski resorts. And, it’s not over yet.

Snow has continued to fall throughout May, with several inches or more in the Sierra Nevada and the southern California mountains.

In the lowlands, the City of San Diego has experienced one of its wettest months of May on record. The San Diego National Weather Service reported that Alpine and El Cajon set daily precipitation records on May 23.

The normal rainfall at Lindbergh Field during the water year (October 1 – September 30) averages about 10.3 inches. In the current water year, 12.7 inches of rain has been recorded at Lindbergh Field as of May 23.

May snowfall in the Sierra Nevada

“It’s atypical to see the snowpack increase in May,” said Alexi Schnell, water resources specialist with the San Diego County Water Authority. “The impact of atmospheric river storms helped push snowpack levels in the northern Sierra to 172 percent of normal as of May 23.”

Statewide Summary of Sierra Nevada Snow Water Content

A bountiful year for snow continued into May in the Sierra Nevada. Graphic: California DWR

Record snowfall also allowed many ski areas, from Squaw Alpine to Mammoth Mountain, to extend their ski seasons into late-Spring, with fresh powder in May a bonus for skiers.

A May to remember at Mammoth Mountain

Mammoth Mountain tweeted that it has received 29 inches of snow as of May 23, “officially our snowiest May on record, beating out May 2015.” (Video courtesy of Mammoth Mountain).

Major reservoirs near capacity

Many of the state’s major reservoirs are near capacity and are significantly above their historical averages as of May 23. Lake Shasta is at 97 percent of capacity and at 113 percent of its historical average.

Most major California reservoirs are near capacity and significantly above historical averages for May 23.

Most major California reservoirs are near capacity and significantly above historical averages for May 23. Graphic: California DWR

Summer is coming

Schnell cautions that this current water year is an exception, and the climatological cycle in California can bring several consecutive years of drought, like the 2015-2017 period, which prompted mandatory water-use reductions.

While the winter and spring has been ‘atypical,’ the summer could set some records too.

“Looking ahead over the next three months, the National Weather Service forecast shows that there is a greater than 50 percent chance the region will be warmer than normal,” Schnell said.

NWS Climate Prediction Center 3-month temperature outlook

NWS Climate Prediction Center three-month temperature outlook. Graphic: NWS/NOAA

NorCal Reservoirs Approaching Capacity With More Snow In Sierra

/in , /by /KCRA 3 (Sacramento)by Brian Hickey

With more rain and snow in the forecast this week, managers continue to release water from Northern California reservoirs. Most lakes in the northern half of the state are approaching capacity with significant runoff still pouring in from the snowcapped Sierra crest. On Tuesday morning, Folsom Lake was at 95% of capacity and 118% of average for this time of year. The lake’s elevation was at 461.63 feet above sea level at 2 a.m. Tuesday, just 4.37 feet below the lake’s rim. Water was being released at nearly the same rate it was coming in to maintain the current water level.

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Wildfire Burn Zones Depleting Snowpack Across West, Which Fuels More Fires And Snow Loss, Research Shows

/in , /by /Reno Gazette Journal by Benjamin Spillman

Wildfires that increasingly plague the American West are contributing more than previously known to the deterioration of the region’s snowpack, according to newly published research. The effect of wildfires on snowmelt is more widespread and longer lasting than people thought and has ramifications across the region, where cities such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Reno and Salt Lake rely heavily on melting snow to replenish water supplies.

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Ample Water Supply Expected This Summer After Snowpack Survey

/in , /by /Hanford Sentinelby Julissa Zavala

Just in time for summer, when water demand is at its highest, water officials are predicting an ample amount of water supply to people and farms this year based on Sierra Nevada snowpack levels. “2019 has been an extremely good year in terms of snowpack,” said Jon Ericson, chief of the Division of Flood Management for the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). “Based on our surveys, we are seeing a very dense, cold snowpack that will continue to produce run-off into late summer.” Thursday, the DWR conducted the fifth and final snow survey of 2019 at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada, just off Highway 50 near Sierra-at-Tahoe.

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Bureau Of Reclamation Projects Lake Mead To Stay Above Shortage Trigger

/in , /by /Mohave Valleys Daily Newsby Saul A. Flores

The Bureau of Reclamation has updated its 24-month study projections for the reservoirs throughout the Colorado River Basin which includes Lake Powell and Hoover Dam-Lake Mead. According to the BOR, the snowpack in the Upper Basin is nearly 140% above average as of April 15 and it forecasts that seasonal inflow to Lake Powell will be at 128% of average. “We are pleased to see the above average snowpack conditions in the Upper Basin and the improvement in the inflow forecast for Lake Powell,” said Brent Rhees, BOR’s Upper Colorado regional director.

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Snow Survey Finds California Water Nearly Doubled

/in , /by /AP News

California cities and farms can expect ample water supplies this summer after winter storms blanketed the Sierra Nevada, nearly doubling the snowpack average for this time of year, state water officials said Thursday. The fifth and final survey of the season at Phillips Station recorded 47 inches (119 centimeters) of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 27.5 inches (70 centimeters), the Department of Water Resources said. That’s 188% of average for the location near Lake Tahoe. Just four years ago, then-Gov. Jerry Brown found a field at Phillips Station barren of any measureable snow amid an historic drought.

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A Healthy Late-Spring Snowpack

/in , /by /Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, Calif.)

The Department of Water Resources said California’s snowpack is healthy as the state prepares for peak runoff months. Following the final survey of the year at Phillips Station on Thursday, DWR found the snowpack was 188 percent of its average for that location. Statewide, the results showed the snowpack contained 31 inches of snow water equivalent (144 percent of its average for this time of year), which is the depth of water that would result if the entire snowpack melted instantaneously. The information will help water managers across the state plan for spring and summer snowmelt runoff into rivers and reservoirs.

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