The current snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is currently mimicking the amount measured five years ago. And that is a good thing because 2011 was the last healthy winter before the current drought.
The state Department of Water Resources conducted the season’s second manual measurement of the Sierra Nevada snowpack Tuesday. The Water Resources employees, led by Frank Gehrke, discovered approximately 76 inches of snow at Phillips, which is located near Echo Summit off Highway 50 heading into South Lake Tahoe.
The water content totaled 25.4 inches, or 130 percent of average for early February. Last January was the driest on record across much of California. This year is a little better than average.
“It’s a good start,” said Gehrke, chief of snow surveys for DWR. “We need to keep on this track.”
The Phillips location is situated at 6,800 feet elevation, and only provides a snapshot of one specific location. Broader electronic measurements reveal the snowpack throughout the Sierra is at 114 percent of normal for this time of year.
Thus far California has benefited from a strong El Niño weather pattern that has brought persistent rain and snow for December and January. Folsom Lake levels are above normal for early this time of year, though most of the state’s reservoirs are still below normal. The importance of a substantial Sierra snowpack is a critical element to end the drought, now in its fifth year.
Jeffrey Weidel can be reached at skiweidel@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jeffweidel and visit his website at www.tahoeskiworld.com.
