Dry, warm conditions lead to a snowpack at 47% of average

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The monthly manual survey of the snowpack at Phillips Station, just west of Lake Tahoe, revealed data that won't catch many by surprise. There is 29 inches of snow with a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 11.5 inches at the location near US50 and Sierra-at-Tahoe Road. This is 47 percent of the March average at this spot.

The SWE measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack, which provides a more accurate forecast of spring runoff.

This is the third snow measurement by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) this season. One month ago, the manual survey showed the SWE at 79 percent of the February average. The first measurement at the end of December had good numbers and was at 97 percent of average.

On February 25, 2019, a snowy month brought the snowpack to 153 percent of average with the season ending at 175 percent of average.

The Phillips Station snow course is one of many snow courses across the Sierra Nevada that DWR manually or electronically measures each winter and early spring. Those measurements indicate that statewide, the snowpack’s water equivalent is 11 inches, or 46 percent of the March average.

“Right now, 2020 is on track to be a below-average year but we could still see large storms in March and April that will improve the current snowpack,” said Sean de Guzman, chief of DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Section. “While periods of dry conditions are expected in California, climate change has made them more unpredictable and extreme which is why we must always use the water we have wisely.”

While February has been very dry, it’s not unprecedented for California to be in this position. In 2018, after a dry start, March storms made up much of the deficit and brought California closer to normal that year.

“The snowpack that we are measuring today is a critical element to all water resources managers in California, especially the State Water Project, which provides water to more than 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland,” said Molly White, chief of DWR’S State Water Project, Water Operations Office. “The data generated from snow surveys is one factor used to determine how much water will be allocated to the State Water Project Contractors.

The state’s largest six reservoirs currently hold between 92 percent (Oroville) and 132 percent (Melones) of their historical averages for this date. Lake Shasta, California’s largest surface reservoir, 107 percent of its historical average and sits at 78 percent of capacity.

DWR conducts five media-oriented snow surveys at Phillips Station each winter in January, February, March, April and, if necessary, May. On average, the snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs as it melts in the spring and early summer.