A winter storm that came through much of California last week brought a significant amount of rain and snow to many areas of the state. The latest storm system arrived not long after a smaller storm system swept through California at the start of the month. U.S. Department of Agriculture meteorologist, Brad Rippey explained that it looks like a strong start to the season so far.
“We have now seen almost a foot of water equivalency accumulate in the mountains. That’s all storms that have happened since October 1,” said Brad Rippey. “That number is more than twice the mid-December normal and it’s just a little over 40 percent of what you would expect to see during an entire October to March winter wet season.”
The Data Exchange Center from the California Department of Water Resources also shows that the statewide snowpack is in a strong position as of December 14. From the 119 stations reporting snow data, the readings indicate that the overall snowpack is at 42 percent of the April 1 average. The measurement represents 204 percent of the average for this point in the year, with a snow water equivalent of 11.2 inches. While it is a good start, Rippey noted that more snow will still be needed throughout the winter.
“The 11 to 12 inches that we see in the Sierra Nevada, that puts us again, about 40 percent of the way to what we like to get at by the end of the season, which is upper 20s to around 30 inches of snow water equivalency,” said Rippey. “We need still more than half of that snowpack to accumulate between now and the end of March.”
Although the latest winter storm helped bolster California’s snowpack, there is still a sense of caution for the remaining months ahead. The last water year started out with positive momentum, which was subsequently followed by some of the driest winter months on record. Those dry months contributed to abysmal water storage levels, with many reservoirs still well below average.
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