Sierra Nevada Snowpack Turns Around After Blizzard

Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is now above average following intense winter storms in California.

Last week, forecasters predicted "very high probabilities" of snowfall exceeding 48 inches for certain portions of the Sierra Nevada. They issued a rare blizzard warning for the state, saying that mountain conditions would be near impossible and dangerous to pass.

Although the conditions were disruptive, there was hope that it would increase snowpack supply, which had been below average before now. California had seen some storms prior to the blizzard, but they were not enough to increase snowpack levels.

As of March 5, snowpack levels for the entire Sierra Nevada were at 104 percent of average.

Snowpack is incredibly important for not just California's water supply but the southwestern region, including Nevada and Arizona. The more snowpack in the mountains, the more water will flow into the rivers and lakes come spring. Climate change has made weather patterns more unpredictable in the region for several years, meaning snowpack levels have not always been as high as officials hope.

"It's been incredible," Andy Gebhardt, Director of Distribution Maintenance and Generation for Truckee Meadows Water Authority, told Reno news station KTVN. "We're going to have good flows in the river at least for the next two, three years."

"And the great news today is that our snowpack in the Sierra, so the Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Carson, and Walker Basin, they're all above normal for this time of year for the first time this winter," Jeff Anderson, a Hydrologist for Natural Resources Conservation Service of Nevada told KTVN.

This is the second year in a row that snowpack levels have reached above average. Last year, it was a similar story. California saw record snowpack after it was battered by intense winter storms and precipitation throughout the winter months into early spring.

These raised snowpack levels are most welcome, as in recent years, the southwestern United States has seen prolonged droughts. Extremely dry conditions, paired with an overconsumption of water, meant the region was facing a water crisis.

Important reservoirs, including Lake Shasta in California and Lake Mead in Nevada, were seeing incredibly low levels. Now, however, there has been a noticeable recovery in all of them.

Although last year was positive for water in the southwest, experts warned that it could be short-lived. This is why this year's above-average snowpack is certainly good news for the previously drought-stricken region.

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