Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe snowpacks still well above normal, some areas at record levels

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Snowpack measurements for the Lake Tahoe Basin and the rest of the Sierra Nevada were taken this week, and as expected they are well above average.

There was a big boost from one of the wettest three-week periods on record this January, keeping the snowpack deep and full of water content. California has had eight or nine atmospheric rivers so far this winter. Last year there were two to three. A large number of atmospheric rivers has allowed the wide distribution of rain and snow.

A manual survey conducted on Wednesday at Phillips Station west of Lake Tahoe recorded 85.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 33.5 inches, which is 193 percent of the average for this location on February 1. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of the Department of Water Resources water supply forecast. Statewide, the snowpack is 205 percent of the average for this date. Two months remain until April 1, when the state snowpack usually peaks.

Forest Service hydrologists from Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Nicole Bringolf, and David Immeker, and Forest Botanist, Emma Williams, conducted the snow survey in Ward Canyon and the Rubicon area. They found conditions at 173 percent of average with Ward Canyon at 87 inches or over 7 feet with a snow water equivalent of 32 inches. Results for the Rubicon area showed the average snow depth is 104 inches or over 8 feet with a snow water equivalent of 39 inches.

The Phillips Station snowmelt runs down into California, while the snow in the Lake Tahoe Basin ends up in the lake, then into Nevada.

Snow measurements at Mt. Rose on Monday showed a 128” snow depth, and 45.1” water content, 196 percent of the median for the date. Normal peak snow water is 37.4in, so already 121 percent of peak. This is the fifth highest since 1981. Last year the peak snow water was 28.2”, only 75 percent of normal. The highest was in 2017 when the snowpack peaked at 93.6” snow water, so currently less than halfway to the record.

Other area snowpack measurements from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation District:

Truckee Basin
Snowpack is currently 181 percent of median, already 106 percent of normal springtime peak, 5th highest February 1 snowpack, 1 of 11 SNOTELs is a record high, 1 is second highest.

Tahoe Basin
Snowpack is currently 191 percent of the median, already 115 percent of normal springtime peak, 3rd highest February 1 snowpack, 3 out of 11 SNOTELs are at a record high, 1 more is the second highest.

Carson Basin - New record February 1 snowpack
Snowpack is currently 234 percent of the median, already 144 percent of the normal springtime peak. 11 out of 12 SNOTELs are at a record high.

Walker Basin - New record February 1 snowpack
Snowpack is currently 254 New record February 1 snowpack! of the median, already 146 percent of the normal springtime peak. 5 out of 7 SNOTELs are a record high, the other 2 are the second highest.

Resource managers and flood forecasters access SNOTEL (snow telemetry) data to monitor temperature, precipitation, and the amount of water stored as snowpack at remote mountain sites across the West.

California and Nevada could see a return to warm and dry conditions in the remaining two months when the states' snowpack usually peaks. Water managers will continue to monitor rivers and reservoirs as the snow starts to melt this spring. DWR said the depth of the snow is a positive sign that there won't be massive runoffs. There is still a drought concern in the northern Sierra where the snowpack is not as deep and Lake Shasta is not full.

“Large snow totals like today are a welcome sight but also present new challenges for water managers as they walk the fine line between water supply and flood control,” said DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit Manager Sean de Guzman. “As we move into the snowmelt season in the spring, water managers will work to manage flood risk and optimize the snowpack’s water supply benefits during peak demands in the summer.”