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<\/a><\/p>\nToday\u2019s results are the\u00a0second lowest April measurement on record for Phillips Station, largely because there was still some visible snow on the ground. By contrast, the lowest April reading occurred in 2015 when no snow was present at the site. Although DWR and its partners in the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program are completing additional surveys across the Sierra Nevada, preliminary data indicates this year\u2019s April 1 snowpack is the second lowest on record.<\/p>\n
The April measurement is a critical marker for water managers across the state, as it is typically when the snowpack reaches its maximum volume and begins to melt. However, this year\u2019s extremely hot and dry conditions throughout the month of March, along with a warm atmospheric river system in late February, initiated snowmelt several weeks ahead of schedule. According to automated sensors across the Sierra Nevada, this year\u2019s statewide snowpack likely reached its peak on or near February 24.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like we skipped spring this year and dropped straight into a summer heatwave,\u201d said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. \u201cWhat should be gradual snowmelt happened suddenly weeks ago. To me, this is another reminder that aging water systems need to be retrofit for more volatile precipitation patterns. We\u2019re seeing fewer, warmer storms and shorter wet seasons. Future water supplies will depend upon our ability to capture water when it\u2019s available and manage it more efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n
DWR\u2019s water supply forecasts use data from the April 1 snowpack to calculate how much snowmelt runoff will eventually make its way into California\u2019s rivers and reservoirs. This information is critical for reservoir managers, who must balance flood control and water supply goals through the winter and depend on snowmelt to slowly refill reservoirs as demand increases during the dry season.<\/p>\n
Given the unprecedented heatwave across the West in March,\u00a0DWR and its partners<\/a>\u00a0expanded monitoring efforts to better track this year\u2019s rapid snowmelt, including 100 additional mid-month snow surveys across 18 critical watersheds. The California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program has also been working closely with partner agencies to monitor the snowmelt and ensure water managers have the information they need to make informed water management decisions.<\/p>\n DWR has focused efforts over the past five years to\u00a0understand and track how\u00a0snowpack accumulation and melt translates into water supply<\/a>, which has aided efforts to forecast runoff in new extreme climate conditions. New snow hydrology modeling in key watersheds gives DWR better insights into the changing physical state of the snowpack. Expanding data collection efforts with Airborne Snow Observatories Inc. and academic research partners, including UC Berkeley\u2019s Central Sierra Snow Lab, now also allow DWR to consider factors like changes in soil moisture and snowpack temperature in its runoff forecasts.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes this year stand out is the disconnect between precipitation and snowpack,\u201d said Andy Reising, manager of DWR\u2019s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. \u201cWe received near-average precipitation in many parts of the state, but much of it fell as rain instead of snow. That led to one of the lowest April snowpacks on record and one of the earliest peaks we\u2019ve seen in decades \u2014 conditions that make forecasting runoff more complex.\u201d<\/p>\n Although some additional snow is forecasted to arrive in the coming days, it is not likely to make up for the rapid snowmelt and hot, dry March. In the Northern Sierra Nevada, where the state\u2019s largest water supply reservoirs are located, the snowpack is just 6 percent\u00a0of average.<\/p>\n Measuring California\u2019s snowpack is a key component of water management. On average, California\u2019s snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California\u2019s water needs. Its natural ability to store water is why California\u2019s snowpack is often referred to as\u00a0California’s \u201cfrozen reservoir.\u201d<\/p>\n The data and measurements collected from DWR and its partners with the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program help inform the water supply and snowmelt runoff forecasts, known as the Bulletin 120, that help water managers plan for how much water will eventually reach state reservoirs in the spring and summer. This information is also a key piece in calculating State Water Project allocation updates each month.\u00a0Learn more<\/a>\u00a0about how snow melt makes its way into State Water Project reservoirs each spring.<\/p>\n DWR conducts four or five snow surveys at Phillips Station each winter near the first of each month, January through April and, if necessary, May.<\/p>\n