A prolonged spell of relatively warm and dry conditions across California is rapidly melting the state’s snowpack into creeks, streams and rivers. Hot weather this week will accelerate the melt. Several rivers fed by snowmelt, mainly in central and southern Sierra Nevada, are expected to hit their spring peak flows in the coming days. The Merced River at Pohono Bridge and the Tuolumne River at Hetch Hetchy, both in Yosemite National Park, are forecast to reach maximum flow on Sunday. It’s not just above-average temperatures driving the melt, but that in tandem with direct, strong sunlight warms up the snowpack said David Rizzardo, hydrology section manager at the California Department of Water Resources. … Snowpack is critical for water resources because it remains frozen away until the dry late spring and summer months.

Other snowmelt news:

• Action News Now (Chico, Calif.): PG&E urges caution near rivers and streams due to colder, faster flowing currents from snowmelt