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How serious is the ‘snow drought’ in the Sierra Nevada?

Officials walk through snowless patches while measuring the snowpack.
Experts say Sierra Nevada is experiencing a serious “snow drought” so far this season.
(Fred Greaves / California Department of Water Resources)
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Good morning. It’s Thursday, Jan. 4. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

A serious Sierra Nevada ‘snow drought’

Powerful December storms brought record rain and heavy surf to parts of Southern California, but it’s a different story at higher elevations. Experts say Sierra Nevada is experiencing a serious “snow drought” so far this season.

That’s different from the kind of drought we’re more familiar with, which means a precipitation deficit over an extended period. Snow drought refers to a deficit in the expected amount of snow. So although the mountains may be getting a fair amount of rain, that rain has not been turning into much snow at higher elevations.

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“While there is still time for snowpack conditions to improve, the potential for a meager snow season is worrying,” Times reporter Hayley Smith wrote this week. “For decades, Californians have depended on the reliable appearance of spring and summer snowmelt to provide nearly a third of the state’s supply of water.” The lack of snow could also affect forests, leaving them drier and more at risk of fire.

And it’s not just California. The National Integrated Drought Information System reports that much of the West is facing a snow drought, including the Northern Rockies and parts of the southern Intermountain West.

California officials on Tuesday conducted the season’s first Sierra snow survey, which measured only 7.5 inches deep. That’s 30% of the average snowpack for the date.

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“The January snow survey is always our first big reveal of snow conditions for the year,” Sean de Guzman, manager of the California Department of Water Resources’ snow surveys and water supply forecasting unit, told Hayley. “Last year on this date, we were standing on almost 5 feet of snow — so vastly different than what we are standing on here today.”

Hayley noted a couple of reasons for the snow drought: warmer conditions brought on by both an El Niño weather pattern that arrived in June and human-caused climate change.

In the meantime, state officials are preparing for two possible outcomes: extreme dry conditions that brought on a historic drought in recent years or extreme wet conditions like we experienced last winter.

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But there could be some good weather news headed our way. Another storm system is making its approach and is expected to bring colder conditions that will drop snow to their lowest elevations so far this season. Residents in Los Angeles and Ventura counties could wake up to noticeable snow atop their local mountains.

Snowfall is also expected at higher elevations in the Sierra this weekend, though scientists say it won’t make much of a dent in the current low snowpack.

On the plus side, the recent rainfall has helped replenish California’s major reservoirs. And officials note that a lot can happen between now and April, when the state’s snowpack typically peaks.

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Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Elvia Limón, multiplatform editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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