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In a much-needed break after multiple years of severe droughts over the past two decades, California’s statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides nearly one-third of the state’s water supply, was at 96% of its historical average on Tuesday, up from 83% a month before.The April 1 reading, considered the most important of the year by water managers because it comes at the end of the winter season, follows two previous years when the snowpack reached 111% of normal on April 1 last year and 237% in 2023.Although Tuesday fell just short of a third year in a row above 100%, together the past three years represent most bountiful three-year period for the Sierra snowpack in 25 years.
The last time there was this much snow three years in a row came in 1998, 1999 and 2000.“Gosh, what a relief,” said Jay Lund, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis. “We’re in good shape.
This is one of the better years in recent decades. We’ve had quite a lot of good precipitation this winter, especially in Northern California. And we haven’t had any major flooding.
It’s been a near-Goldilocks amount. Just right.”Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort in El Dorado County, about 6 miles south of Lake Tahoe, reported Tuesday that 20 inches of snow fell in the previous 24 hours and another foot was expected by Wednesday.
In March, the resort had 81 inches of accumulated snow — nearly 7 feet.“This storm was a cold one and has done some great things for our snowpack,” said Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist at UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab near Donner Summit. “If you are a skier or snowboarder, I would encourage you to get up because conditions are fantastic.
”California struggled with three severe droughts over the past generation: From 2007-2009, then 2012-2016, and most recently from 2020-2022. Brown lawns and water restrictions were the norm.But the past three winters have shown how the state’s hydrology can vary widely.
That “weather whiplash” is being exacerbated by climate change, scientists say. Warming temperatures make droughts more severe, increasing fire risk. But in wet years, when big atmospheric river storms come off the Pacific, warmer conditions can cause more water to evaporate into those systems, bringing more rain.
One big benefit of multiple wet winters is that the rain and snow, as it melts, fills California’s reservoirs.“It’s pretty remarkable to see after what we have been through,” said Andy Reising, snow survey manager at the state Department of Water Resources. “The reservoirs are above average for this time of year.
It’s a great sign moving forward.”The biggest reservoirs statewide averaged 117% on Tuesday of their historical April 1 amounts.Shasta Lake, the state’s largest reservoir, near Redding, was 89% full and rising.
The second-largest — Oroville, in Butte County — was 88% full. San Luis Reservoir, east of Gilroy, was 89% full. To the south, Diamond Valley Reservoir in Riverside County, a key to water supplies in Los Angeles and surrounding cities, was 97% full.
All that water means most cities and suburbs across the state won’t have any water restrictions this summer, Davis professor Lund noted.“There will still be small communities in some rural areas with issues, but on the whole we probably should be more worried about complacency,” he said.Storms haven’t hit the state evenly.
On Friday, the snowpack in the Northern Sierra was 118% of average, and 91% in the Central Sierra. But in the Southern Sierra, it was only 84%.Rainfall totals this winter have been even more lopsided.
The farther north communities are located, the more rain they have received. Since Oct. 1, Santa Rosa rainfall totals have hit 135% of average.
San Francisco is at 96%, and San Jose is at 75%. But Los Angeles rainfall is at just 59% of normal.“If you are north of the I-80 corridor, it’s been a pretty good year,” said Michael Anderson, state climatologist with the Department of Water Resources.
“If you are south of there, it’s been a little wanting.”Related ArticlesCalifornia snowpack below average — what does this mean for water supplies?Can we stop plastics from seeping into farm fields, food and eventually human bodies?Electric vehicle range anxiety? Researchers develop new battery that could be a cureEye in the sky: California spending $100M to track methane emissions with satellitesStates’ wildfire plans at risk amid budget woes and federal uncertaintyAs a result, Southern California counties from Santa Barbara to San Diego have been categorized in recent weeks as entering various levels of drought by the U.S.
Drought Monitor, a weekly report put out by the federal government. No Bay Area counties or areas from Modesto to the Oregon border are classified as being in any level of drought.Lund noted that if half of California is going to be wet and the other half dry, it’s far more important to have a year like this one, when the north is wet.
That’s because nearly all the state’s largest reservoirs are in the north.Overall, California was in a drought for 11 years out of the 16 years between 2007 and 2022. Cities, counties, and state officials put in place major policies during those droughts that helped reduce the impact of future droughts.
They included voluntary programs to pay residents to replace lawns with drought-tolerant landscaping; the construction of several new off-stream reservoirs such as Los Vaqueros in Contra Costa County and Diamond Valley in Riverside County; a landmark state law requiring more sustainable management of groundwater; tougher building standards requiring more water-efficient toilets, appliances and industrial equipment; and a state law to encourage smaller, cash-strapped water districts to merge with larger ones.“A year like this is a good time to prepare for the next drought,” Lund said. “We should be building projects, upgrading old facilities, and hiring new water engineers to replace the ones who retire.
It’s like Benjamin Franklin said: ‘When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.’”Snow is cleared Tuesday April 1, 2025 at Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort south of Lake Tahoe. The resort received 20 inches over the prior 24 hours.
(Photo: Sierra-at-Tahoe).
