Sierra snow pack near Lake Tahoe at 93% of average

PHILLIPS STATIONS, Calif. - The Sierra snow pack was measured at 93 percent of average on Thursday at Phillips Station, west of Lake Tahoe, the first of the winter 2020 snow pack surveys.

A team from California Department of Water Resources (DWR) found 30.5 inches of snow with 10.5 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE).

The SWE measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack, which provides a more accurate forecast of spring runoff. Measurements from the 130 electronic snow sensors, scattered throughout the state, indicate that the statewide snowpack’s water equivalent is 15.2 inches, or 53 percent of the April average.

The Central Sierra snowpack electronically shows SWE at 59 percent of average through its 43 stations with an average of 6.1.

Sean de Guzman, Chief of DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Section said he was surprised and pleased at the numbers at Phillips Station along US50 near Sierra-at-Tahoe.

The data collected from the snow pack helps water forecasters determine spring and summer runoff for the California water supply. The December 30 measurement is 52 percent of the April 1 average, the number those forecasters focus on for the supply.

The Sierra snowpack accounts for one-third of the state's water supply.

This snow measurement is a welcome relief after a very dry October and November, one of the 15 driest falls in history. Those dry months followed a disastrous and record breaking fire season in the state.

Last December, the snow measurement was 96 percent of normal SWE for the Central Sierra per the electronic survey. January and February are two of the snowiest months in the Sierra. Guzman and his team will be back at Phillips on February 2, 2021 for the next manual survey.