California’s snowpack soars to record high after 17 atmospheric rivers

So far, the central and southern Sierras have seen the most anomalous amounts of snow, with snow moisture contents of 233% and 298% of normal, respectively. Snowfall is relatively light in the northern Sierra, with snow moisture content at 190% of normal, consistent with 1982-83 levels.

According to the Western Center for Weather and Water Extremes in La Jolla, Calif., 17 atmospheric rivers, or powerful jets of subtropical moisture, have hit the state since December, accumulating huge snowpacks. It also hit the state.

Sierra Nevada ski resorts reach unprecedented levels of snowfall, sometimes filling up chairlifts.

Mammoth Mountain this week announced a record snowfall of 702 inches at its main lodge. Since we started tracking snowfall in 1969-1970, the previous record was 668.5 inches. At the summit, the mammoth was 879 inches tall.

The National Weather Service’s grid snowfall analysis suggests that the snowiest areas of the Sierra have more than 900 inches of total snowfall.

At the Central Sierra Snow Lab, not far from Lake Tahoe, Cumulative total of 700 inches for the season After this last storm. That season’s total now stands at 713.8 inches, the second most on record.

Other substantial totals for Sierra are:

· 755 inches — sugar bowl.

723 inches — Boreal Mountain.

·722 inches — Dodge Ridge.

696 inches — China Peak.

· 695 inches — Kirkwood.

· 692 inches — Palisades Tahoe.

Snowfall typically peaks at this time of year, but Sierra resorts can expect an average of 3-6 feet of additional snowfall until the end of the season in May or June.

A combination of heavy snowfall and heavy rains in the lowlands has taken a toll on the state’s drought. The federal government’s latest drought monitor, released Thursday, showed drought covering just 28% of California, compared with nearly 100% in early October.

Computer models predict that another storm could hit the state early next week, with more rain in lower elevations and heavy snowfall in the mountains, especially in the northern and central parts of the state. there is.

Storms in California buried Mountain West, Utah, in drought-affected snow.

A drier pattern could develop on the west coast after mid-next week. The Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center leans toward lower-than-average precipitation in his 6- to 10-day forecasts for California.

“It’s welcome news because I think we’re all ready for a break,” wrote a meteorologist who prepared Thursday morning’s forecast discussion at the Weather Service’s Bay Area office.

However, with less rainfall, there is concern that temperatures will rise and the snowpack will melt rapidly as spring approaches, potentially triggering flooding.

“It’s important to understand that we’re in uncharted territory,” Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Center for Water Policy at the California Institute of Public Policy, told The Post earlier this month. “The amount of snow-trapped water in the basin is about twice the average annual runoff.”