Across the Northern Sierra Nevadas, accumulated precipitation is below average by around 10 inches and has fallen behind even the lackluster 2014-2015 water year. Precipitation amounts so far during the 2017-2018 water year in California have been meager. Coinciding with the lack of snowpack is an overall lack of precipitation of any kind. A year after a deluge and rain and snow drastically increased the snowpack in the mountains of California, hot temperatures and dry conditions have seen the same snowpack dwindle considerably.Īs of the first week of February, the snow water content of the snowpack in North, Central, and Southern California was running less than 30% of normal for this time of year. Head to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California and the story is the same. How did it get so low? It was a combination of a late start to winter across the region and warmer than average temperatures during late autumn and early winter, which not only evaporated the snowpack but during storms led to rain falling instead of snow. Particularly, is there going to be enough snowmelt to fill Lakes Mead and Powell, which provide water to major cities like Tucson and Phoenix?Īs of early February, the snowpack that feeds into the Colorado River is tied with 1990 for the lowest amount on record for this time of year. Water worriesįor areas in the Upper Colorado River Water Basin along the southern Rockies which rely on snow melt for water resources later in the year, snow amounts this low bring fears. In fact, the “best” areas for snow this season lie along the Front Range in Colorado and are only just around normal. Snow water equivalents-the amount of liquid water that would result if the snow melted in an instant-are between 0 and 30% of the median for this time of year for a broad region. NOAA image using data from the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC).įarther south in Arizona, snows across the Rockies and in the Upper Colorado River Basin have been extremely low so far this year. Normal to above-normal snow water equivalent values are only located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and locations farther north in Wyoming. Across the Colorado river basin during the middle of February, snow amounts are well below-average in most places with broad areas having below 30% of normal snow water equivalent. Purple colors reflect well below-normal amounts of snow water equivalent, the amount of liquid water if the snow was melted, while whiter colors reflect normal to above-normal amounts of snow. Modeled snow water equivalent values as a percentage of the 1981-2010 median on Februfor higher elevations in the Colorado river basin across the southern Rocky Mountains. And similar to resorts in Colorado, those in Utah have had to deal with a less than perfect ski season. The snowpack on New Year’s Day was the thinnest since 1977 according to the Salt Lake Tribune. In Utah, snow levels are currently running at only 49% of normal. The below-average winter is affecting mountain towns up and down the Rockies. As of February 14, statewide snowfall was running below average at 85% of normal. According to the Associated Press, a resort in Grand Mesa, Colorado, has received only 45 inches of snow in total this winter, almost nine feet less than last year. Instead of fluffy snow, skiers are finding conditions so bad that some Colorado resorts have cut back on hours. So far this winter, not nearly enough snow has fallen. Economies of whole regions rely on the draw that several feet of pure, powdery snow has on people. It’s that time in winter when vacationers break out their skis and snowboards and head West to ski the slopes of the Rockies and Sierra Nevada Mountains.
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