Scant Sierra snowpack measures at just 12% of normal

The survey of the Sierra Nevada snowpack on Thursday brought home the message that many were already guessing: a fourth straight year of drought is inevitable.

At just 12% of normal, the snow measured near Philips Station on Echo Summit was 7.1" deep and contained a dismal water equivalent of 2.3".

The absence of precipitation in January, normally California’s wettest month, has combined with warmer-than-average temperatures to produce a dismally meager snowpack for a drought-stricken state.

If these conditions continue, California's drought surely will be confirmed for a fourth straight year according to state water officials.

The news wasn't better at any of the other locations where the snowpack is measured. Statewide, the snow water equivalent as measured by more than 100 sensors was 4" today, or 25& of the historical average

California relies on the snowpack for about 30 percent of its water during normal years, but the statewide snow water equivalent has shrunk from 50 percent of the multi-year average on December 30, 2014 to 25 percent today.

State Climatologist Michael Anderson has said that to have a chance at ending the
drought, California would have to record precipitation that is at least 150 percent of normal by the end of the water year on September 30, or 75 inches as measured by the 8-station index. As of today, only 23.1 inches have been recorded at the stations.