Snow

'Extraordinary moment': Sierra snowpack among largest on record

Amy Graff

California state water officials took measurements in the snow near Lake Tahoe on Monday and announced this year's Sierra Nevada snowpack is among the largest ever on record. This news brings relief that the three-year drought is easing, but also raises huge concerns that the monster snowpack could bring dangerous flooding as it melts through spring and summer. 

"This is truly an extraordinary moment," Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources, said from the front lines of the survey at Phillips Station. "But we don't get to stop and and enjoy that for too long. We are absolutely very focused on public safety and flood protection.

"And it really is going to require all Californians to be very mindful of — if you're recreating in rivers and streams, the water is going to be cold, high, fast and very, very dangerous. If you're living in a community that is going to be have challenges with this snowmelt overtopping banks, you must heed the warnings of your local county and never drive onto flooded roadways. There's a lot of work we need to do over the course of the spring and summer together to make sure that people stay safe."

Nemeth warned that the Central Valley, especially the southern San Joaquin Valley and Tulare County, is at risk for flooding, and the department is working with local agencies to prepare for this.

On Monday, the manual survey at Phillips Station off Highway 50 measured 126.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 54 inches for this location. This is the third highest snow depth and fourth highest water content measured at the location in 82 years. Surveys are also conducted in January, February and March, but the early April survey is the most important because it occurs when the snowpack peaks and before it starts to melt off. The readings help officials forecast how much water will run off into the state's reservoirs, which provide drinking and agricultural water. 

The state has conducted snow surveys at Phillips Station since 1941. It's a ceremonious exercise that draws attention to one of the state's most crucial water sources. The daily readings from 250 stations across the entire length of the Sierra provide a more complete picture of the snowpack's status, and as of April 3, these show the statewide snowpack is 227% of average for the date, according to the department. The last time the state had an early April average this high was 1952.

“This year’s result will go down as one of the largest snowpack years on record in California,” Sean de Guzman, manager of DWR’s snow surveys and water supply forecasting unit, said in a statement. “While 1952’s snow course measurements showed a similar result, there were fewer snow courses at that time, making it difficult to compare to today’s results. Because additional snow courses were added over the years, it is difficult to compare results accurately across the decades with precision, but this year’s snowpack is definitely one of the biggest the state has seen since the 1950s.”