Sierra Snowpack at 90% of normal, according to a survey; More snow to come

The winter storms in Sierra Nevada this month increased the snowpack to 90% of normal, a good sign for the water supply of California, state officials announced on Friday.

The Sierra Snowpack has now been close to the average levels for a third consecutive year, said Andy Reishing, head of snow surveys of the Ministry of Water Resources and Water Supply forecasts.

“This is excellent news for the state,” said Reishing, addressing journalists in a snowy meadow near Lake Tahoe.

Measurements have taken around 260 sites across the Sierra show that the Northern mountains have more snow than the southern regions.

Friday, the snowy mantle in the north of the Sierra measured 108% of the average for the date, while it stood at 83% in the center of the Sierra and 81% in the south of Sierra.

Reishing said that officials hope that the storms planned for next week will increase these percentages even more.

April 1 is generally the summit of Sierra’s snowy mantle, he said. After this date, an increasing amount begins to melt.

Snow in Sierra provides approximately a third of the state water supply.

The current levels of snowpacks represent one of the many measures to assess California’s water prospects. Another is the amount of water stored in state tanks, which are much higher than the average levels.

Reishing said that southern California could embark on drought conditions later this year if it is not raining this spring. Precipitation in the Los Angeles region, he said, were just about 50% of normal.