Striking before-and-after images show extent of California’s snow drought
As California experiences its second-worst snow drought in 50 years, new images show a stark comparison with last year’s snow levels. This year, the Sierra snowpack peaked on Feb. 25. It was only 73% of average, then rapidly dwindled from there. Then, summerlike heat in March broke monthly records in many areas of the Western United States. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, described it as one of the most “extreme heat events ever observed in the American Southwest.” Though a spring storm dropped up to 3.5 feet of snow in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains last week, extending ski season, snow levels remain extremely low.
Other snow drought news around the West:
- The Denver Post (Colo.): March heat wave, record-low snowpack set stage for long summer for ranchers
- Powder Magazine: Experts warn California’s snowpack is still well below average, despite 40 inches of new snow
- KTLA (Los Angeles): ‘Abnormally dry’ conditions continue to spread across California
- The Inertia: California snowpack hits ‘new record low’ says CAL FIRE chief
- The Sacramento Bee (Calif.): How bad are California drought conditions after storms? See lake, snow levels
- EurekAlert!: Warmer winters and snow drought may threaten western U.S. water by speeding flows, study finds
- University of Nevada, Reno: Blog: How does elevation influence climate change impacts in mountains?
