state of matter official say California presently has one the best snowpack levels encompass its deal kitchen stove in four decades , theAssociated Press cover .
The California Department of Water Resources conducted the first manual snowpack survey of the year this week at Phillips Station near Lake Tahoe . They establish 55.5 column inch of snow depth , which is 177 % high than average for the location , according to astatement from the department .
Some of the recent snowpack came from a storm that muff over the state this past week , trigger off far-flung floodingand dropping several inches of Baron Snow of Leicester on California passel reach . allot to the Department of Water Resources , the late storm and someDecember snowfallhas increased snowpack to 174 % above average for this clock time of the year statewide .
A coat of fresh snow is seen on a mountain the morning after a winter storm pelted the region with a large amount of snow, in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023Photo: Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle (AP)
But can these storm alleviate theongoing megadroughtout West and thedry conditionsthat were predicted for the state this winter ? It may be too early to say . snow in former 2022 foreground that a decent start to the year does n’t mean that the C will stick around , so officials are tentatively excited for now .
“ bad snow totals are always welcome , but we still have a retentive way to go before the decisive April 1 total , ” Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit Manager Sean de Guzman aver in the department ’s wardrobe release . “ It ’s always great to be above average this too soon in the time of year , but we must be resilient and remember what take place last twelvemonth . If January through March of 2023 sour out to be similar to last yr , we would still end the water class in severe drought with only half of an mean year ’s snowpack . ”
Back in December 2021 , a snowstorm dropped almost17 foot of snowover the Sierra Nevada mountains . But by March 2022 , officials found only 2.5 inches of snow at the Phillips Station near Lake Tahoe . The average snow depth for the close of the time of year in that area is speculate to be 5 feet , harmonise tothe water imagination section . Snow storey throughout the land were only 38 % of what they should have been at that time of class . Low snow levels mean there wo n’t be a boost of meltwater to feed into California ’s river and reservoir .
The next snowpack view is schedule for the beginning of February .
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