Measurements taken by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) show that the California snowpack has hit the historical average. The manual snow survey conducted at Phillips Station recorded 64 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 27.5 inches. It represents 113 percent of the average for that location. While the latest readings reflect an improvement from March, it is still well below 2023.
“On April 1 last year, the snowpack was well over twice its average right here. We were in fact standing on 10.5 feet of snow last year,” said Andy Reising, DWR water resource engineer. “This year, we’re slightly more than five feet of snow.”
The water year started slowly, with a snow depth of only 7.5 inches at Phillips Station for the first manual snow survey of the year. Things improved over the course of January and February, bringing the March reading closer to the April 1 average. Multiple storms throughout March brought additional rain and snow. “That has boosted us from 75 percent of average to just above average for this water year, which is excellent news,” said Reising.
According to the automated snow sensor network from DWR, the overall California snowpack has a snow water equivalent of 28.6 inches. That amounts to 110 percent of the April 1 average.
“Average is awesome. We’ve had some pretty big swings in the last couple of years,” said Karla Nemeth, DWR Director. “The good news today is actually only part of the story. We will see over the course of the next couple of months how this snowpack translates into runoff, into rivers, streams, and reservoirs.”
California will be entering the dry season with above-average water storage. Since the beginning of the year, the State Water Project has increased storage by 700,000 acre-feet at Lake Oroville and by 154,000 acre-feet at San Luis Reservoir. Overall, California reservoir levers are at 116 percent of the historical average.
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West