Snowpack Research Paper

Due to a series of snowstorms that hit Sierra Nevada recently, the snowpack is higher than the average for this time of the year. This is a milestone for California, who has been in a severe drought for the past year. The storms have increased the snowpack levels of the mountain that hasn’t been seen in two years in California.

Although the announcement of this seems horrible to some, it is welcoming news to California due to the dry conditions California has been in for the past four years. However, even with the higher levels of snow the drought is said to be far from over.

The snowpack is 111% of average of the date statewide; northern Sierra it is 116% of normal; in the central part of Sierra is it of 121% of average and finally in the southern Sierra it is 85% of normal. “We are above average and that's a very good thing,” Steve Nemeth, a water supply forecaster for the state Department of Water Resources. said, adding a note of caution. “We've been fooled before on an above-average December,” with disappointing sequels. When compared to of last years the statewide snowpack was a little more than half the average, which meant bare Sierra slopes for their winter. It was key that they had a good snowpack since snow in these areas are a key source of water for the state.

However Apr. 1 is the important day of when snowpack reaches its peak, which provides California with a third of their water supply. According to Eric Kurth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, the snow comes from multiple cold storm systems that originate from the Gulf of Alaska. “We've got snowstorms on top of other snowstorms, which has helped accumulate snowpack,” Kurth