"An extraordinarily warm and mostly sunny January has left the snowpack across California's Sierra Nevada far smaller than usual - 59% of average for this time of year, state water officials announced Friday as they held the season's second snow survey. "We are now about halfway through the typically wettest part of the year," said Andy Reising, manager of snow surveys for the California Department of Water Resources."
"Record warmth has left much of the western U.S. with little snow this winter. Precipitation has fallen more as rain than snow, especially at lower elevations - a symptom of global warming, which in recent years has been pushing average snowlines higher in the mountains. California relies on the Sierra snowpack for about 30% of its water on average."
An extraordinarily warm and mostly sunny January has reduced Sierra Nevada snowpack to 59% of average for this time of year. The northern Sierra is at 44% of average while the southern Sierra is at 79%. The next two weeks are unlikely to bring significant storms, though a late rebound before the April 1 peak remains possible. Much precipitation has fallen as rain rather than snow, especially at lower elevations, reflecting higher snowlines tied to warming. Measured snow depth at Phillips Station was 23 inches. California is currently drought-free, while the Rocky Mountains remain in severe drought, risking worsened Colorado River shortages.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]