California’s snowpack continues to show improvement amid a wet winter.
The state’s Department of Water Resources on Thursday announced that a manual survey found 47.5 inches of snow depth at Phillips Station, which equals 18 inches of water or 77% of the average at that location.
“Today’s results reflect continued improvement in the snowpack since the slow and dry start to the water year. DWR’s electronic readings from 130 stations placed throughout the state indicate that the statewide snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 18.7 inches, or 80 percent of average for this date, an improvement from just 28 percent of average on January 1,” DWR said in a news release.
When it comes to how much water is needed, however, California is doing a bit worse.
Statewide, the snowpack is only 70% of where it typically is on April 1, the snowpack’s usual peak, leaving only a month for California to build up more moisture for the dry months ahead.
Though a challenge remains, good news is on the horizon.
“An incoming storm is expected to bring several feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada this weekend,” the DWR said.
The Sierra snowpack provides about 30% of California’s water, and DWR Director Karla Nemeth noted that “March will be critical” in determining if California has more or less water than usual this year.
“No matter how the season ends, we are ready to take advantage of the water we do have to benefit communities, agriculture, and the environment, and continue storing stormwater in our groundwater basins for future use,” Nemeth said.
The next and potentially final measurement of the year is expected on April 2.
