California snowpack near average in season's first survey, though officials caution 'anything can happen'
Snowpack in the mountains of California is near average for this time of year, after a recent series of storms provided a much-needed boost to the region, officials reported Thursday.
The season's first manual snow survey recorded 24 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent — the amount of water contained in snow — of 9 inches, according to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). That quantity of water is 91 percent of the average for this location, Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada, the agency stated.
Statewide, automated sensors that compile data from 130 stations throughout the Sierra Nevada indicated a snow-water equivalent of 10.7 inches, or 108 percent of the average for this date.
As a basis of comparison, that figure was 28 percent of average on this date last year, officials noted.
"Feeling good today, but we need to see some more storms coming," Andy Reising, the agency's manager for snow surveys, said during a livestream of Thursday's event.
Reising warned that despite the big storms that have deluged the region in the past couple of months, a La Niña weather system has the potential to bring drier conditions, particularly in the southern portion of the state.
He also noted that back in 2022, snowpack was at 154 percent of average at this point in the season, but dry conditions landed the region at just 46 percent of average by April 1, the end of the final snow survey of the year.
"We'll need a progression of monthly storms to keep going, because otherwise we will end up maybe similar — under-average by the end of the year," Reising said.
DWR Director Karla Nemeth echoed these sentiments, stressing in a statement that “while our snowpack looks good now, we have a long way until April when our water supply picture will be more complete."
“Extreme shifts between dry and wet conditions are continuing this winter and if the past several years are any indication, anything could happen between now and April and we need to be prepared," Nemeth added.
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