NASA satellite images show how the record-breaking snowpack levels in California have changed over the month of April from warmer temperatures. This is a great depiction of how much snow has melted in the state throughout April, while water experts expect peak snowmelt to happen in the Central Valley throughout May and June.
Today, The Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted the fifth snow survey of the season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevadas. The manual survey recorded 59 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 30 inches, which is 241% of the average for this location on May 1. The last time there was measurable snow at the Phillips snow course on May 1 was 2020, when only 1.5 inches of snow and .5 inches of snow water equivalent was measured.
The DWR’s electronic readings from 130 snow sensors placed throughout the state indicate the statewide snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 49.2 inches, or 254% of the average for this date.
“While providing a significant boost to California’s water supplies, this year’s massive snowpack is posing continued flood risks in the San Joaquin Valley,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “The snowpack will not disappear in one week or one month but will lead to sustained high flows across the San Joaquin and Tulare Basins over the next several months and this data will help us inform water managers and ultimately help protect communities in these regions.”
