California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) completed their first manual snow survey for 2024 and the numbers are just not up to snuff.
DWR staff conducted manual readings in a partially snow-covered meadow at Phillips Station and recorded only 7.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 3 inches, which is 30 percent of average for this location.
“Here at Phillips last year on this date we were standing on nearly five feet of snow,” Department of Water Resources Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecast Section Manager Sean de Guzman said following the measurement. “So vastly different than what we are standing on here today.”
While state reservoirs are still above average for this time of year and strong El Niño conditions are present in the Pacific Ocean, the outlook for the rest of the winter remains highly uncertain.
“California saw firsthand last year how historic drought conditions can quickly give way to unprecedented, dangerous flooding,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Although El Niño does not guarantee an above average water year, California is preparing for the possibility of more extreme storms while increasing our climate resilience for the next drought.”
On average, the Sierra snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs. Its natural ability to store water is why the Sierra 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. Due to last year’s above average conditions and historic snowpack, a total of 3.5 million acre-feet of water was captured in State Water Project (SWP) reservoirs. Lake Oroville, the SWP’s largest reservoir, is currently at 130 percent of average to date and state water managers are prepared to capture and store as much water as possible.
Statewide the snowpack is 25 percent of average for this date, compared to 185 percent last year.
DWR conducts five media-oriented snow surveys at Phillips Station each winter near the first of each month, January through April and, if necessary, May. The next survey is tentatively scheduled for February 1.
