Recent storms boosted California's snowpack, but there's still a long way to go

"California's snowpack remains below average despite the powerful atmospheric river storms that pounded the West Coast around Christmas, state officials announced Tuesday. The Department of Water Resources' first snow survey of the season revealed that statewide snowpack is 71% of average for the date, compared with a 30-year baseline from 1990 to 2020. Last year, that number was 115% of average at the same time."

""It's still pretty early for the water year and our winter season," said Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, a hydro-meteorologist with DWR's snow surveys and water supply forecasting unit. Fabbiani-Leon spoke from the state's survey site at Phillips Station near South Lake Tahoe, where the snow depth was 24 inches with a snow water content of 5 inches - roughly half of average for the area."

Statewide snowpack stands at 71% of average based on the Department of Water Resources' first survey, compared with 115% at the same time last year. The baseline for average is a 30-year period from 1990 to 2020. Snowpack provides about one-third of California's water supply through spring and summer melt that feeds rivers and reservoirs. Winter storms from January through March typically deliver the bulk of the season's snowpack, making the next three months critical. Measured conditions at Phillips Station showed 24 inches of snow and 5 inches of snow water content, roughly half of normal. Recent atmospheric rivers improved conditions but climate change is causing more precipitation to fall as rain and increasing weather whiplash, complicating seasonal outlooks.

Read at Los Angeles Times