For the second year in a row, California’s snowpack levels measured above average in April, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
DWR officials conducted the fourth snow survey of the season at Phillips Station in El Dorado County Tuesday morning and found that, despite a dry start to the year, a deluge of storms throughout March has pushed snowpack levels in California into the black.
Tuesday’s survey revealed a snow depth of 64 inches at Phillips Station and a “snow water” equivalent of 27.5 inches. DWR officials say that total translates to about 113% of the average at that measuring site this time of year.
Snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack, DWR said. It’s a crucial component of the state agency’s annual water supply forecast, which helps determine water allocation across the state throughout the year.
The April survey is considered to be the most crucial and telling of all snowpack surveys that DWR conducts. April is considered the peak period for snowpack levels in California and it marks the official transition to spring snowmelt at the state’s rivers and reservoirs, officials said.
Electronic readings from 130 stations across the state indicate the current snow water equivalent around 28.6 inches — 110% of the April 1 average. It’s a “significant improvement” from January 1 when totals were only 28% of the average for that time of year.
Karla Nemeth, director of the Department of Water Resources, said it was “great news” that the snowpack was able to make up for a dry start to the year.
“This water year shows once again how our climate is shifting, and how we can swing from dry to wet conditions within a season,” Nemeth said. “These swings make it crucial to maintain conservation while managing the runoff. Variable climate conditions could result in less water runoff into our reservoirs.”
She added that a 100% snowpack figure doesn’t mean there will be 100% runoff. Instead, the state captures and stores what it can in wetter years to make up for drier ones.
The DWR also says the state’s reservoirs “remain in good shape” thanks to ongoing efforts to capture and store as much water as possible from this year, as well as record-breaking storms in 2023.
Since the start of the year, storage at Lake Oroville has increased by 700,000 acre-feet, officials said, and 154,000 acre-feet at San Luis Reservoir. Statewide reservoir levels currently stand at 116% of average.
But the state agency says more challenges are on the horizon as spring runoff begins.
“The dry start to the year, soot and ash from burn scars that accelerates snowmelt, and other factors may result in below average spring runoff which can impact water availability,” DWR wrote in a press release issued Tuesday.
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Despite two consecutive years that resulted in positive water conditions in the state, Dr. Michael Anderson, State Climatologist with DWR, said now is not the time to “let our guard down.”
“With three record-setting multi-year droughts in the last 15 years and warmer temperatures, a well above average snowpack is needed to reach average runoff,” Andersons said. “The wild swings from dry to wet that make up today’s water years make it important to maintain conservation while managing the runoff we do receive.”
He added that the years moving forward will likely see more extreme periods of dryness interrupted by very wet periods like this past winter.
State officials said California is adapting to the changing climate by working with local groundwater agencies and state and federal partners to capture as much water as possible to prepare for the next drought.
Just last year, more than 1.2 million acre-feet of groundwater recharge was permitted by the state. Nearly 400,000 acre-feet of flood water was recharged using Executive Orders issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom, officials said.
The California Department of Water Resources conducts four to five snowpack surveys at Phillips Station throughout the year beginning in early January and continuing each month through April and May, if necessary. The Sierra snowpack accounts for about 30% of California’s total water needs and is referred to by water officials as the “frozen reservoir.”
To read more about California’s current water conditions, click here.
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