Northern California Snowpack is Currently 184 Percent of Average
Winter has officially arrived in Northern California and it’s bigger and better than anyone could have imagined. For the past 10 days, some NorCal mountains received over four feet of snow, and it’s giving an early boost to the much needed snowpack in the mountain regions.
The United States Department of Agriculture released their map of the current snowpack of the western states, and parts of NorCal looked the healthiest of them all. With 184 percent snowpack of average, Tahoe is already primed for a great winter. Here is the map from the USDA:
As you can see on the map, areas like Yosemite/Mammoth are 169 percent and up north towards Lassen Volcanic National Park is 136 percent. Snowpack percentage is measured by the height of snowpack in a region on any given day, and compared to its average of the snowpack throughout recorded history.
Obviously, this is a huge jump for just a ten day storm and could bring huge long-term benefits to the area, like future water storage and a healthy soaking of NorCal before fire season. Here is a closer look at our area:
The National Weather Service posted satellite images of the Sierra Nevada to show just how much the snowpack has increased in a month’s time:
Satellite imagery shows just how much has changed in the Sierra over the last two weeks. Images taken on 11/18, 11/25, and 12/2 show a significant increase in the snow pack, with the biggest change due to last week's series of storms. #NVwx #CAwx
Credit: NASA MODIS pic.twitter.com/EcJmol65oI
— NWS Reno (@NWSReno) December 3, 2018
Woah nelly! While the snowpack is at 184 percent, our full stoke level is 100! Get ready for a great season on the slopes!