State has disappointing snow survey at Phillips Station

The second snow survey of the season revealed a disappointing 46 percent of average last Friday.

The manual survey conducted by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) at Phillips Station recorded 22.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 8 inches. Just 30 days earlier, DWR recorded 24 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 9 inches.

“Despite a good start to the snowpack in the Northern Sierra in November and December, we can look back as recently as 2013 and 2021 to show how quickly conditions can change for the drier,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth.

An excessively dry January has pushed the Northern Sierra back to near average, the Central Sierra to 58 percent of average, and the Southern Sierra Nevada to fall to under 50 percent of average.

DWR’s electronic readings from 130 stations throughout the Sierra Nevada indicate that the statewide snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 10.5 inches, or 65 percent of average for this date. While forecasts show storm activity may pick up in February, California has seen several years in recent history with large early season snow totals, only for predominantly dry conditions to dominate the rest of the season.

“California missed out on critical snow-building storms in January which has pushed the state down below average for this time of year,” Nemeth continued. “While we are excited to see some storm activity in the coming days, sustained periods of no precipitation can dry the state out very quickly. For each day it’s not snowing or raining, we are not keeping up with what we need.”

California’s reservoirs are probably the only bright spot in Friday’s announcement.  Storage is above average for this time of year in several of the state’s major bodies of water; Lake Oroville, is at 126 percent, San Luis Reservoir is at 101 percent and Southern California reservoirs are near or above their historical averages.

On average, California’s snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs. Its natural ability to store water is why California’s snowpack is often referred to as California’s “frozen reservoir.” Data from these snow surveys and forecasts produced by DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit are important factors in determining how DWR manages the state’s water resources.

The next survey at Phillips Station is tentatively scheduled for February 28.