Sierra snowpack measured at 86% of average at Phillips Station, 65% at Mt. Rose

PHILLIPS STATION - The third manual snow survey of the season at Phillips Station west of Lake Tahoe was conducted today by the Department of Water Resources (DWR). At the location 56 inches of snow was recorded with a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 21 inches which is 86 percent of average for this date. The Phillips Station measuring spot is at the intersection of US50 and Sierra-at-Tahoe Road.

The statewide network of snow measurement showed California at 61 percent of average as of this morning.

The SWE measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of the water supply forecast.

On the Nevada side, snow was measured on Monday at Mt. Rose through the Natural Resources Conservation Service snow survey program. There the snowpack was found to be 65 percent of the median with 68 inches of snow depth and a SWE of 21 inches. Mt. Rose snowpack feeds into Lake Tahoe where Phillips Station snowmelt feeds California west of the Sierra.

December through February are normally the three wettest months though the Sierra have known a "Miracle March" in the past. At Phillips Stations Tuesday morning, Sean de Guzman of the Department of Water Resources said there are no major storms seen that can move the state out of a drought situation.

"Without any series of storms on the horizon we’ll have to end this year dry," said de Guzman.

“As California closes out the fifth consecutive dry month of our water year, absent a series of strong storms in March or April we are going to end with a critically dry year on the heels of last year’s dry conditions,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “With back-to-back dry years, water efficiency and drought preparedness are more important than ever for communities, agriculture and the environment.”

Dry conditions require coordination among state, federal and local entities. State water leaders are preparing to address the current dry conditions adaptively, guided by lessons learned during previous droughts.

With below-average precipitation across the state, California’s reservoirs are showing the impacts of a second consecutive dry year. Lake Oroville is currently at 55 percent of average and Lake Shasta, California’s largest surface reservoir, is currently at 68 percent of average for this date.

Statewide snow survey measurements continue to reflect the overall dry conditions. Measurements from DWR’s electronic snow survey stations indicate that statewide the snowpack’s SWE is 15 inches, or 61 percent of the March 2 average, and 54 percent of the April 1 average. April 1 is typically when California’s snowpack is the deepest and has the highest SWE.

The current State Water Project (SWP)­­ allocation of 10 ­­­­percent amounts to 422,848 acre-feet of water, distributed among the 29 long-term SWP contractors who serve more than 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland. Last year the initial allocation was also 10 percent, with a final allocation of 20 percent set in May 2020.

Precipitation in the form of rain – and snowfall at higher elevations – is critical because it refills reservoirs, packs away snow for spring runoff and helps stem the risk of wildfires. As dry conditions continue to persist, Californians should look at ways to reduce water use at home. Each individual act of increasing water efficiency can make a difference.