Low Snowpack Levels Bad News for Growers

Taylor Hillman Cattle, Citrus, Cotton, Environment, Field & Row Crops, Forage Crops, General, Grain, Specialty Crops, Tree, nut & vine crops, Water

The mountain snowpack accumulations for California will be well below normal this year, the second consecutive year for such low totals. Sabrina Hill reports.
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Snowpack conditions in Northern and Central California have gone down hill. The runoff from these ranges feed most of the reservoirs in our state. USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey says the snowpack levels in those ranges has topped off at 18 inches. The idea number for normal runoff levels is 30 inches. And the bad news doesn’t end there. We had a warmer-than-normal March, which means snow melted off sooner than usual. That will further lessen the water available to growers.