In a worrisome turnaround from last year, the first official snow survey of the season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada found California’s vital snowpack to be far below normal.
The manual survey by the Department of Water Resources recorded 7.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 3 inches, which is 30% of average for this location. Statewide the snowpack is at 25%.
The disappointing measurement comes after California saw one of the largest snowpacks on record last year.
While the state’s reservoirs are above average for this time of year and strong El Niño conditions are present in the Pacific Ocean, the outlook for the rest of the winter remains highly uncertain, according to the agency.
“The dry fall and below average conditions today shows how fast water conditions can change,” said Sean de Guzman, manager of the agency’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit.
“It’s still far too early to say what kind of water year we will have, and it will be important for Californians to pay attention to their forecasts and conserve water, rain or shine,” he said.
Last year, California experienced climate whiplash when the driest three year-period on record ended with extreme storms in January and March that caused damage and flooding across the state.
On average, the Sierra snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs. Its natural ability to store water is why the snowpack is often referred to as California’s “frozen reservoir.”