Very telling ... and depressing.

I saw this dry pic over the weekend but there was no comparison photo, crazy. So is this a 1 every 50, 1 every 100 or 1 every 500 year event?

butitsadryheat wrote:First photo looks though, like it may have been taken right after a big storm. Even low altitudes seem to be covered. Is there another date that could be compared? I'm sure stats could be checked to see when it snowed.

Yeah, the snow coverage images provide an impressive contrast, but when I saw them posted in another thread and elsewhere on the internet, I remembered that December 2012 was very snowy (about 6-15 feet fell in the mountains from the tail end of November through the end of December, with about half of that coming just before and after Christmas). The images are not necessarily intended to represent snowpack data, but the snowpack stood at slightly above normal on January 13, 2013. Consulting Google for a moment revealed that 6 to 12 inches of snow fell across the area on January 11-12, 2013. Anyway, if I call the 2013 image typical for January and the 2014 image atypically or historically dry, I call the image below exciting!



It looks like those wanting snow and water will find it in northern and central CA, and those enjoying the warm and dry winter will enjoy southern CA. Sounds pretty typical.

So what have the snowfall totals been recently? The storms have been seemingly pretty good? Reports from Tahoe....Mammoth....etc?

> So what have the snowfall totals been recently?

Shiat:



http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snow/PLOT_SWC

I started skiing here in Idaho during 1963 and have kept a journal for most of those years. The only season that compares (to date) is the winter of 1976-1977. The conditions are almost similar, a large high pressure system setup over southern Cal in December and didn't budge until February when over half of our water season was over. It's going to take more than a 200% snowfall for the rest of the season to get back to a normal average here and that is unlikely now. Every range around here is the same. The Tetons, Sawtooth, Owyhee, Salmon, Beartooth, Lost River, Seven Devils, Pioneers, you name it and it's very dry.

Bob

Bob, I'm not certain any significant change will occur here in the Sierra. Historically, these dry cycles go for at least three years, sometimes even four/five. We are in the third year in 2013/2014. For me personally it is distressing because every year, some of my plans are becoming more and more distant, especially my big dream of skiing trans-Sierra one more time. Those young climbers and skiers have decades to wait, for older guys like me, well...

We're in our third year of below normal precip too and our reservoirs are very low. This, on top of all time record high temps (and fires) last year. I watched 300,000 burn in 5 days, some of it from my house.

It looks like were about to get our first big storm out of the Sierra this week so my fingers are crossed that this keeps up until late spring. I guess the only upside is that we might get into the high country early this year but I'd rather be skiing than walking.

Bob

Yes, the prospect of early hiking season and less mosquitoes is nice to think about. Sure, backcountry conditions have been poor so far this this winter and may continue to be, but it has made some areas unusually accessible for hikes, climbs, and other activities.

If this third dry water year in a row ends up exceptionally dry and is followed by one or more additional dry years, many drought related issues will grow. On the other hand, most years that started this dry have ended up at 40%-70% of normal rather than worse. Often they are followed by a normal or wet year.

Besides being in the midst of a decent stormy period, here are a couple of examples of folks that are leaning optimistic after the beginning of February snow surveys:

Mammoth Survey

Souther Sierra Snow Survey (some use of skis)

I'm sure there are many other examples that could lead to optimism or to pessimism. Regardless, good luck out there with finding enjoyable and rewarding adventures.

Any talk like this going on out there?

fedak wrote:

For what it is worth, the two large white patches in the upper left of the 2014 image are not snow. Those are the Scott and Shasta Valleys covered in some very, very thick fog. That was the day I captured this image.

Also for what it is worth, it has been precipitating fairly heavily and consistently since yesterday around noon. We got a few inches of snow and then it turned to rain. It is snowing again now and is supposed to continue through tomorrow morning. Then more rain.

Bubba Suess wrote:That was the day I captured this image.

Nice pic...shitty snowpack.

I want to use the images of the Sierra snowpack in an article regarding the water crisis in the Central Valley. The article would appear in the August issue of the Community Alliance, a non-profit community newspaper based in Fresno, Calif with a circulation of about 10,000. I would also like to credit the photographer or organization responsible for the graphic. My email is enmascarao@yahoo.com. Powerful graphic, hope to hear from you soon.
-Stan Santos
enmascarao@yahoo.com