ENVR The status of the snowpack

D

Delta

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Just bumped into this site: Home Page

(California Data Exchange Center--Dept of Water Resources)

Looks to be an interesting source of information on the status of the Sierra snowpack. We're way ahead of normal for this date, but not yet up to where it should be as of spring. My dad used to be a snowpack measurer.
 
duchess47

duchess47

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I won’t believe anyone who claims drought this year. According to my weather station we’ve already received 4.18 inches of rain this month. California is flooding. Didn’t I read that ski resorts had to close for a couple of days due to massive snowfall and avalanche danger? I’ll have to check to see local reports of snow in the mountains.

By the way, I think in December we received 8+ inches of rain for the month when our normal yearly average is 11+ inches.

And yes, I know rainfall doesn’t translate into snow in the mountains.

I hate winter.
 
Blacknarwhal

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
I discovered that the "unseasonable warmth" we've been seeing in SW Lower Michigan of late is actually CLOSE TO AVERAGE TEMPERATURES for this time of year. We've been unusually COLD this time of year for the last several years, apparently! Boy was I shocked!
 
duchess47

duchess47

Has No Life - Lives on TB

Sierra Snowpack Currently Sits at 175 Percent of Average​

Active NorCal
Active NorCal
3 weeks ago
Mammoth-Snow-1024x536.png

It’s been a fruitful start to the water year in the Sierra, still playing catch up from the drought-stricken years of the past decade. There’s still plenty of snowfall needed to break Northern California’s string of dry winters, but if December is any indication, we are well on our way.
In April 2022, the Sierra snowpack sat at a paltry 28 percent of historical average, inspiring California officials to call for a rethinking of water management throughout the state. Fast forward to December 2022, and it seems like we have more snowpack than we know what to do with.
This week, the National Weather Service announced the statewide snowpack sits at an astounding 175 percent of historical average. That percentage includes 165 percent of historical average in the northern Sierra and 166 percent in the central Sierra.


Take a look at the graphic created to show current snow depth throughout Northern California:
FjUX0NPVQAAnEaL.jpeg

With an incoming storm set to drop another 5 feet of snow on the Sierra this week, that percentage will certainly climb, possibly topping 200 percent, by next week. But the winter of 2021-22 can serve as a warning that this might now be a sign of things to come.
 
Intestinal Fortitude

Intestinal Fortitude

Have Faith
duchess47 said:
I won’t believe anyone who claims drought this year. According to my weather station we’ve already received 4.18 inches of rain this month. California is flooding. Didn’t I read that ski resorts had to close for a couple of days due to massive snowfall and avalanche danger? I’ll have to check to see local reports of snow in the mountains.

By the way, I think in December we received 8+ inches of rain for the month when our normal yearly average is 11+ inches.

And yes, I know rainfall doesn’t translate into snow in the mountains.

I hate winter.
Click to expand...
ground water levels are depleted due to wells and drilling
Lake Mead WAY down
too many thirsty people want pools, food, showers , , ,
 
susie0884

susie0884

Dooming since 1998
duchess47 said:
...

By the way, I think in December we received 8+ inches of rain for the month when our normal yearly average is 11+ inches.
...
Click to expand...
We should have come down there to celebrate our anniversary this last week. It would have been perfect since we got married in the big snowdump/flood of 1996/7.
 
duchess47

duchess47

Has No Life - Lives on TB
susie0884 said:
We should have come down there to celebrate our anniversary this last week. It would have been perfect since we got married in the big snowdump/flood of 1996/7.
Click to expand...
Happy Anniversary!!

1996/97 was major flooding at the ranch. Popped up our water tank, volunteer firefighters out putting out sandbags. I think we had 14 inches running down the road.
 
D

Delta

Has No Life - Lives on TB
The 200% thing is a current status. Were it to be dry until spring, we'd be below "normal". All the talk about flooding does remind me that the snowpack is indeed vulnerable to a "pineapple express". A heavy warm rain right now would be a disaster.
 
N

night driver

ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
What was the dam we had such a watch on 2 years ago, or so???

Watching the failing spillways, and the parking lot which was the "Emergency" spillway (but had CLEARLY NEVER been intended to see flowing water)???
 
H

HDC

Contributing Member
Oroville Dam, Lake Oroville: north of Sacramento, east of Chico, CA. Had some friends who had to evacuate for a few days near Palermo, south of the dam, east of Highway 70.
 
Blacknarwhal

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
HDC said:
Oroville Dam, Lake Oroville: north of Sacramento, east of Chico, CA. Had some friends who had to evacuate for a few days near Palermo, south of the dam, east of Highway 70.
Click to expand...

Yeah, how's that doing these days? Any recent augmentations, or will it fold like a house of cards if warm rain hits that snowpack?
 
L

Luddite

Veteran Member
Scrapman said:
Any new dams or reservoirs to collect the surplus. None that I've heard about.
Click to expand...
Doubtful you're going to see any new dams in this nation due to current environmental opinions.

Some visionary engineer has probably spent some downtime thinking about a pipeline. Could be an aqueduct/tunnel or buried pipe. Vegas and Arizona would approve.

I suspect it would be expensive and contrary to the plans for our 4th industrial revolution.

Money is better spent in Ukraine and for services for ill eagles. /sarc

"Nonstarter" is probably the best description...

Eta: cursory glance showed about a 5000 foot elevation drop from lake Tahoe to lake Mead. Roughly 400 miles.
The Truckee river doesn't drain to an ocean so bad example. I suspect there are shorter and more logical spots if money was no option.

Maybe Elon could use his boring machines when he gets done playing around on twitter...
 
Last edited:
marsh

marsh

On TB every waking moment
Supposed to have warm atmospheric rivers falling on snow. Not a good scenario. We ant the snowpack to build until spring - then slowly melt to fill aquifers and create subsurface flow downhill. This is the source of our river water into summer
 
D

Delta

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Just looked back at that site. South of the Feather River the snowpack is over 100% of the April 1 average, and over 200% of normal for this date. A bit lighter to the north.
 
S

SunBurntBeatle

Contributing Member
I live in Northern Colorado and plow snow to pay the bills in the winter. It started snowing 11/27 and has been steadily snowing ever since. The nearest ski area has close to 180 inches so far for the season. The average is 300 inches. I'm tired. It could quit for a few weeks.
 
Bps1691

Bps1691

Veteran Member
Wonder how much water they are still dumping straight out into the ocean for those endangered minnows?

All through the drought they let millions of gallons go out of the lakes so those minnow’s environment had plenty of water.
 
D

Delta

Has No Life - Lives on TB
For members interested in the Colorado River (i.e. Lake Mead), there is a snowpack site for Colorado.

Colorado Snow Survey Products

www.nrcs.usda.gov
Probably sites for any other state you might care about. Just google: Colorado snowpack (or whatever).
(Credit for all of this will doubtless go the the warming climate.)
 
K

KFhunter

Veteran Member
duchess47 said:
I won’t believe anyone who claims drought this year. According to my weather station we’ve already received 4.18 inches of rain this month. California is flooding. Didn’t I read that ski resorts had to close for a couple of days due to massive snowfall and avalanche danger? I’ll have to check to see local reports of snow in the mountains.

By the way, I think in December we received 8+ inches of rain for the month when our normal yearly average is 11+ inches.

And yes, I know rainfall doesn’t translate into snow in the mountains.

I hate winter.
Click to expand...


They will empty the reservoirs this spring that should be filling up now, then this summer, when it dries up, and the reservoirs have long since been emptied into the pacific, they'll scream drought!

Climate change!

Then they'll all scream Fire!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top