Amy Graff, SFGATE
Feb. 2, 2023
California state water officials tramped through the snow in the Sierra Nevada on Wednesday to take official measurements of the snowpack.
They stuck their instruments into the snow at Phillips Station off Highway 50 near Lake Tahoe and took a series of measurements, determining that the snowpack at this location was 193% of normal for the date.
The state has conducted snow surveys at Phillips Station since 1941. It's mostly a ceremonious exercise that draws attention to one of the state's key sources of water. The daily readings from stations across the entire length of the Sierra provide a more complete picture of the snowpack's status, and as of Feb. 1, these show the statewide snowpack is 205% of average for the date, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
"That’s the biggest since 1995, when it was 207% of average for February 1," Jason Ince, a spokesperson for department told SFGATE.
None of these number are surprising. California saw a parade of relentless storms over three weeks straddling December and January. A gauge at the UC Berkeley Central Snow Lab near Soda Springs has recorded some 360 inches of snow since Oct. 1. To put that in perspective, the site averages 360 inches per year and has made it to that mark with several months left in winter, according to a post from the lab on Twitter. The wet winter is much welcomed following the driest three-year period on record, but state officials warn that for every dry day, the snowpack gets a little smaller.
"If California returns to dry conditions, and the next two months lack additional precipitation, like what the state experienced last season, a significant snowpack early in the winter can quickly disappear," the Department of Water Resources said in a news release. "Periodic rain and snow over the next several months will be key to get the biggest water supply benefit from the state’s snowpack without posing additional flood risks."
State officials will return to Phillips Station on April 1, as they do every year, to take take another survey. This measurement is the most important one of the season, as it's taken when the snowpack is usually peaking. State officials use the reading to determine how much water the snowpack will provide in spring and summer.
After nine back-to-back winter storms, the snow along Highway 50 in El Dorado County, Califonia has nearly blocked this roadway sign. At nearby Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Resort the snow total for the winter 2022-23 season has received 380 inches, with 179 inches of snow in January 2023
The snowpack is among the state's most important water sources, with its spring and summer runoff feeding rivers and reservoirs and replenishing groundwater. Mountain snowpack provides about 30% of the yearly fresh water supply for California.
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