Sierra snowpack at 80% of average

PHILLIPS, Calif. - It was a much different picture of the Sierra snowpack today than what there was a year ago when the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted their first monthly measurement of the snow and water content at Phillips Station, ten miles west of Lake Tahoe.

As of January 3, 2019, DWR measured the snow at 25.5 inches deep, which means the Sierra snowpack is 80 percent of normal with a snow water equivalent (SWE) of nine inches. These figures are 36 percent of the April 1 average, the date used as the maximum snowpack that will be received in the mountains.

In January of 2018, water officials found just three inches of snow to measure in the same spot they measured today. A year ago the snow depth was just 3 percent of average with a SWE of 0.4 inches.

"A stark contrast with last year," said John King, DWR water resource engineer. "The season is still early, anything is possible between now and May."

Statewide, the snowpack is at 67 percent of normal based on data supplied by the snow sensor network.

About half of the annual precipitation for the state comes between December and February.

The State Climatologist Dr. Michael Anderson told those gathered at the official measurement reading that temperatures are running two to four degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average, which is what they had forecast. There is a weak to moderate El Nino brewing in the tropical Pacific, and depending on where the jetstream falls decides where the water falls. He said seasonal temperature averages have been rising since 2013.

Half the annual snowpack comes December - February. The SWE is how much water would be expected if all of the snow melted at one time.

Snow has been measured at Phillips Station since 1964. It's elevation is 6,873 feet and located at the intersection of Highway 50 and Sierra-at-Tahoe Road.

On January 2, 219 Nevada water officials found a similar measurement with a snowpack at 79 percent of normal for the date via the Mt. Rose SNOTEL which records rain and snow on Slide Mountain at the Mt. Rose Ski Resort. One year ago the winter was off to a slow start and recorded much lower water content at 26 percent.

Snowpack in the Lake Tahoe Basin is important to the Reno/Sparks area due to its acting as a reservoir for the Truckee Meadows Water Authority which gets the water via the Truckee River. The West Slope measuring for California at Phillips gives water authorities insight into the spring runoff and water that heads to the Sacramento area.