snowpack

Washoe Lake is dry.

With almost all of the 11 streams feeding the lake between Reno and Carson City reduced to a trickle over the past five years, evaporation has officially claimed the last of Washoe’s waters.

Jennifer Ramella of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said Little Washoe at the main lake’s north end still has a bit of water in it but that too is fading.

"You have to adapt to changes in life or you won't survive," John Rice told a crowd at Wednesday's 'Tahoe Talks' held at LTCC.

"Change is happening, clearly we're in a drought, whether it's here for short term, or long term, time will tell," said Rice, the VP and General Manager of Sierra-at-Tahoe. "The ski industry has the most to lose in a drought."

Right on the heels of Wednesday's historic and meager snowpack measurement, the National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting a chance of snow Sunday, Monday and Tuesday next week. A storm system will drop southeast from the Gulf of Alaska, bringing with it some valley rain and mountain snow Sunday into Tuesday

While the forecast isn't for any significant or measurable snowfall, both Nevada and California can use whatever they can get. Accuweather.com is calling for less than an inch total while NWS has higher hopes.

Here is the NWS forecast for South Lake Tahoe at lake level:

Those who live in the Sierra Nevada already know about the minimal snowpack and the monthly snow survey conducted near Sierra-at-Tahoe showed just that.

The water content of the snow for the state as a whole is at 19% of the average for this time of year, with the central Sierras at 20% of average.

The survey of the Sierra Nevada snowpack on Thursday brought home the message that many were already guessing: a fourth straight year of drought is inevitable.

At just 12% of normal, the snow measured near Philips Station on Echo Summit was 7.1" deep and contained a dismal water equivalent of 2.3".

The absence of precipitation in January, normally California’s wettest month, has combined with warmer-than-average temperatures to produce a dismally meager snowpack for a drought-stricken state.

There are many trails one can choose to hike in South Lake Tahoe, but how many actually have waterfalls and a 160 year old history behind them?

Spring has arrived in the Sierras which means it's time to get out and explore the local waterfalls. Due to the low snowpack this winter the falls won't be around as long as normal. My daughter and I decided to get in an aftershool hike this week on the Hawley National Recreational Trail.

Though late season storms have helped skiers and boarders enjoy Lake Tahoe resorts a bit longer, the snowpack measured at 38% of normal today during the monthly test at Echo Summit. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR)reported a statewide average of just 32% of average.

Surveyors from DWR trekked to several monitoring stations as they do annually to measure the water content in snow, as well as depth, to try and pinpoint the state's water supply this summer.

Thursday's measurement of the Sierra snowpack at Phillips, just west of South Lake Tahoe, shows dismal water content, even with the recent snowfall. While better than the results earlier this month, there is still far too little water in the still scant snowpack according to the Department of Water Resources.

The first snow survey of the season found more bare ground than snow throughout the higher elevations of the state. The survey, conducted by the Department of Water Resources on Friday, found the 9.3" of snowpack at Phillips Station to be 20% of the long term average. A dismal 2.3" of water content was found.

The water found in the Sierra Nevada snowpack Thursday was just 66 percent of the long-term average, according to California water managers."The snowpack hasn't actually lost much water content sin...

California Gov. Jerry Brown today delivered the 2013 State of the State Address. Here's the prepared text:

The Sierra snowpack is off to a good start because of some recent storms that brought plenty of moisture to the region. It comes just in time for the first snow survey of the year.
"It's all just good news," hydrologist Dan Greenlee said. "This is fantastic."
The numbers for the first snow survey, this year, couldn't be much better. The snow amount is almost double the average for December. The snowpack is already about two-thirds of a full season's average, with three more months to go.

What a difference a year makes. This National Weather Service graphic compares the precipitation in December 2011 with the precipitation for December 2012.
The image on the left represents the total liquid precipitation that fell during December 2011.

The image on the right is the total liquid precipitation that fell over the last 30 days of 2012 ending on December 28th. The images show the stark contrast between the exceptionally dry December of 2011 and the very wet December of 2012.

Lifts began turning at Heavenly Mountain Resort at 9 a.m. Wednesday, signaling the return of winter to Lake Tahoe and the region's ski and snowboard destination. Early-season storms combined with the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system have given Heavenly the ability to stage its earliest opening since 2004-05. All access to the mountain at this time is through the Heavenly Gondola and Tamarack Express.

Lake Tahoe may be one of the most studied lakes in the world, but just how to translate all that climate change data into action remains a challenge. Data suggest a decrease in snow, more extremes like drought and flooding and reduced lake clarity.
Data suggest climate change is bringing an increased risk of more severe forest fires, but warming temperatures may cause other complex ecosystem changes. Local agencies are already planning ways to mitigate and adapt, but making policy based on models that show global trends over the next century is not an easy task.

TAHOE/TRUCKEE - Warnings about regional climate change was kicked up a notch with the recently released report by Robert Shibatani, a Sacramento-based hydrologist who is also CEO of The Shibatan...

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of May 2-9.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not” — Dr. Seuss
As you may know, sugar pines and other white pines are plagued by a non-native invasive pathogen. White pine blister rust kills about 90 percent of sugar pines it infects. Scientists and restoration managers have agreed that the only effective restoration strategy is to identify seed trees resistant to the rust and plant their progeny. That is exactly what the Sugar Pine Foundation does and you can help too. Last fall, a volunteer described planting sugar pines as “creating life in our neck of the woods.”

The Nevada Division of Emergency Management/Homeland Security and the National Weather Service are partnering together to educate the citizens of Nevada on National Flood Safety Awareness Week, March 12-16.

According to the National Weather Service, Floods and Flash Floods are the #1 weather-related killer in the United States and can occur any time of the year. This is why the Nevada Division of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service Offices in Reno, Las Vegas, and Elko want to help spread the word about being flood safe.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - State water officials say recent storms have not made up for this year's dry winter, leaving California's snowpack at below average levels.The Sierra Nevada snowpack is a ...

Here's the latest from the National Weather Service in Reno on the storms: This graph shows the change in snowpack percentage from the SNOTEL sites in the four main Sierra basins. Before the series of storms in the past week, all of the basins were below 10 percent of the season-to-date normals. As of early this morning, the snowpack has increased to around 25-30 percent of normal, which includes partial totals from the Sunday night-Monday storm.