snow

What Snow? Final Snow Survey Yields Dry Results

Amy Quinton — Fri, 03 May 2013 00:12:18 +0000

The season’s final snow survey in California found what most expected – dry conditions. Snow surveyors found absolutely no snow on the ground at Phillips Station, nearly 7,000 feet up Echo Summit in the Sierras.

Water content in California’s snowpack is only 17 percent of normal, meaning a below average water supply this summer.

Frank Gehrke with the Department of Water Resources says despite that, most reservoirs are near normal levels for the date thanks to early winter storms.

Sierra Snowpack Below Normal; Driest Year on Record

Amy Quinton — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:16:57 +0000

January and February are the driest on record for the northern Sierra Nevada. As Amy Quinton reports, snowpack is well-below normal for this time of year.

Second Snow Survey Shows Below Normal Conditions

Amy Quinton — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:37:41 +0000

California snow surveyors reported Tuesday that water content in the state’s mountain snowpack is below average for the date.

The manual readings this month confirmed what many water managers expected after a relatively dry January. The water content in the Sierra snow is 93 percent of average for this time of year.

Early storms in November and December dumped snow ranging from 32 ½ to 44 inches around Echo Summit. That erased the deficit in reservoir storage. But very little snow has fallen since.