Snowpack well below average as snow storms roll in

The first snowpack measurement of 2024, at California’s Phillips Station, looked and provided dramatically different results than a year before. 

This year’s survey revealed levels at 30 percent of the average for this date. In 2023, the snowpack was at 177 percent of the average. The figures are calculated using records that stretch back nearly 75 years. 

The measurement takes place near Lake Tahoe and is part of a bigger picture. 

Sean de Guzman, Snow Survey Manager, California Dept. of Water Resources: "We've conducted snow surveys here at the Phillip Station snow course dating back to 1941, recording both snow depth and snow water content. And snow water contents is really that critical measurement we're always kind of looking for because theoretically that's the amount of water contained within the snowpack, because that's really what we're interested in is how much water is in the snowpack? And it's information and data like that that we're able to plug into various models to figure out how much runoff we'll have once the snow melts in the spring and summer to refill our reservoirs for water supply."

 The five feet of snow at this location a year ago contributed to the recharge of depleted reservoirs after years of drought. 

Sean de Guzman, Snow Survey Manager, California Dept. of Water Resources: “Today's result shows that it's really still too early to determine what kind of year we'll have in terms of wet or dry. And there can be so many things that happen with our storm systems."

Currently, snowpack around the country is limited. Moderate melting around much of the country occurred this week as both coasts, again, prepared for a late week system that could provide some precipitation.

December also proved to be the warmest on record for several Midwestern states. 

The weekly Drought Monitor from the University of Nebraska reveals a return to the trend of drier conditions across the country.

For Market to Market, I’m David Miller.