
Cal officials look to approaching storms to boost snowpack
Alan Riquelmy
PHILLIPS STATION, Calif. (CN) — California's dry January has hurt its snowpack.
The state on New Year’s Day was at 108% of average snowpack because of major storms that swept through in November and December. However, the showers stopped in the new year, leaving the statewide snowpack total at 65% of average for Jan. 31.
“When we don’t accumulate snow or rain, it definitely hurts our snowpack,” said Andy Reising, manager of the snow surveys and water forecasting unit at the state Department of Water Resources, on Friday.
Reising spoke from Phillips Station off Highway 50 in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, one of over 260 sites where snow surveys are performed. The surveys, performed both by hand and electronically depending on the location, are necessary for accurate predictions of the state’s water supply come summer.
Reising and others trudged through snow, and a recently started snowstorm, as they conducted the day’s survey. At that site, they found 22.5 inches of snow depth and a snow-water equivalent of 8 inches.
Snow-water equivalent is the depth of water that would come from the snowpack melting. It’s an essential part of the water supply forecast.
Reising’s department has a handful of key dates it uses for measuring benchmarks. One of them is April 1, when the snowpack is considered to be at its peak.
The snowpack at Phillips Station on Friday was at 46% of the April 1 average. Statewide, it was 33% of average.
“Thirty-three percent — that’s not the best news for us,” said David Rizzardo, manager of the water resource department’s hydrology section, at a Friday afternoon press conference.
A lack of rain and snow throughout January concerned Reising, as did a slight reduction of the snowpack over the month. The previous survey showed snowpack had a depth of 24 inches, with 9 inches of water content.
“The snowpack has consolidated a little bit,” Reising said, adding moments later: “We’re behind the 8-ball throughout the state.”
The snow that started Friday, with precipitation expected into next week, is a good sign for the state. However, nothing is certain with the weather. Reising said temperatures are expected to rise over the next few days and it could be rain, not snow, that falls.
“We’ll definitely need more storms throughout the next several months,” he said.
Also, while the North State is expected to receive precipitation, Southern California — blackened by brutal and destructive wildfires this month — won’t be as fortunate.
California gets the bulk of its annual rainfall between December and February each year. Rizzardo said the season started strong, with a series of storms that helped bolster the state’s water levels.
Then January arrived, bringing with it weeks of no rain.
“January just went really, really dry,” said Michael Anderson, state climatologist. “Here we are in February switching back.”
According to Rizzardo, above-average precipitation throughout February and March is needed to reach 100% of average snowpack by April 1.
Once warmer months arrive, the department starts to look at how fast conditions dry out. That plays a major role in the demand for water in certain areas, and how fast significant fire danger returns.
“We’ll see how this summer treats us,” Anderson said. “Last summer was pretty rough.”
The arrival of precipitation on Friday led Governor Gavin Newsom to issue an executive order he said would make it easier to move and store excess water. According to the governor’s office, the order will lead the water resources department and other agencies to maximize diversion of water flow, heightening water storage in the North State.
“As we anticipate rain and snow in Northern California, we are also preparing to use every last drop to boost our water supply for communities and farms throughout the state,” Newsom said in a statement. “By storing these stormwaters, we are creating a literal rainy-day fund to help us recover from a multiyear drought and prepare for our hotter, drier future.”