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Snow Survey 1/3/18
Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 4:58 am
by rlown
California: Hardly any snow but not in drought again, yet
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PHILLIPS STATION — The grassy brown Sierra meadow where California's water managers gave the results of the winter's first manual snowpack measurements Wednesday told the story — the drought-prone state is off to another unusually dry start in its vital winter rain and snow season.
"We would like to have had more snow," Grant Davis, the head of California's Department of Water Resources, told news crews gathered in this mountain field, bare of all but a few crusty dots of old snow.
"It's early" in the snow season, said Frank Gehrke, head of the state's snow survey team. He stuck a metal pole into one of the few patches of snow at this site, measuring just over an inch (2.5 centimeters), or 3 percent of normal. "We're obviously hopeful there will be more snow the next time we come out here."
Climate change increasingly is changing the mountain snowfall equation, but historically up to 60 percent of Californians' water supply each year starts out as snowfall in the Sierras. That makes the state's manual and electronic snowpack measurements in these mountains crucial gauges of how much water cities and farms will get in the year ahead.
This winter, one month into the state's peak storm season, snowpack across the Sierras stood Wednesday at 24 percent of normal.
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Full story at:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/78325 ... artslide=0
Re: Snow Survey 1/3/18
Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:23 am
by TahoeJeff
It's pretty bleak here in So Lake Tahoe with virtually no snow. The ground isn't even frozen in most places...
Re: Snow Survey 1/3/18
Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:38 am
by rlown
So, not enough ice to fish on the lakes still, TJ?
Re: Snow Survey 1/3/18
Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:31 am
by maverick
Hopefully the system impacting the Sierra this weekend will bring you some white stuff TJ.
Re: Snow Survey 1/3/18
Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 12:46 pm
by TahoeJeff
Russ, there is about 5"-6" on Red lake east of Carson Pass and folks have been skating and fishing for a few weeks now. Same, I'm pretty sure for Caples and Silver, maybe even thicker. But I don't like to fish those 'road siders'. So, Winnemucca is almost certainly safe. Probably Grass, Eagle and Granite too, and Round. Just need to dust off the auger and get motivated. Should go since Heavenly doesn't excite me too much right now.
Mav, I hope you're right, but the NWS has a high of 44* on Sat with a 40% chance of showers and Sun high of 50* and partly sunny. Not holding my breath for any white stuff.......
Re: Snow Survey 1/3/18
Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 12:51 pm
by maverick
Mav, I hope you're right, but the NWS has a high of 44* on Sat with a 40% chance of showers and Sun high of 50* and partly sunny. Not holding my breath for any white stuff.......
True, but the higher elevations should. What we need is a little of that Arctic weather their experiencing in the eastern US mixed in with one of these systems.
Re: Snow Survey 1/3/18
Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 8:59 pm
by Wandering Daisy
NOAA has a snow website. According to thier models, based on imagery and on-ground snow measurments Jan. 7, the % area covered with snow and averger depth in inches is:
Sierra: 18.8%, 2.1 inches
PNW Cascades and west: 40%, 13 inches
Pacific Intermountain: 64.7%, 2.5 inches
Northern Rockies: 98.3%, 25.9 inches
Central Rockies: 77.2%, 9 inches
Upper Midwest: 96.7%, 4.2 inches
Northern Great Lakes: 99%, 7.7 inches
Northeast: 98.7%, 16.2 inches
Looks like the northern Rockies takes the prize for the most snow.
The Sierra is dead last for regions that usually get snow.
Re: Snow Survey 1/3/18
Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 10:01 pm
by Tom_H
Re: Snow Survey 1/3/18
Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 11:01 am
by rlown
TahoeJeff wrote:Russ, there is about 5"-6" on Red lake east of Carson Pass and folks have been skating and fishing for a few weeks now. Same, I'm pretty sure for Caples and Silver, maybe even thicker. But I don't like to fish those 'road siders'. So, Winnemucca is almost certainly safe. Probably Grass, Eagle and Granite too, and Round. Just need to dust off the auger and get motivated. Should go since Heavenly doesn't excite me too much right now.
Mav, I hope you're right, but the NWS has a high of 44* on Sat with a 40% chance of showers and Sun high of 50* and partly sunny. Not holding my breath for any white stuff.......
How's that Auger dusting off coming along?
