Just a couple weeks ago, the Phillips Station site near Lake Tahoe — the location where California officials conduct regular manual snowpack surveys — was dry ground. But that’s changed. On a sunny day near the end of December, the site was blanked by a couple feet of snow.
But officials say the state is still below average.
Researchers with the state’s Department of Water Resources reported a snow depth of 24 inches at Phillips Station. That’s 50 percent of average for this site. Statewide, snowpack levels are at 71 percent of average for this date.
Anthony Burdock, a DWR water resources engineer and member of the team who took measurements at Phillips Station, said there’s still plenty of time for snowpack levels to catch up to the average.
“It’s California,” Burdock said. “We will go in long dry spells throughout the winter and then get these enormous storms that produce all our snow. So, looking at the numbers today, we are below normal … but that’s not going to indicate where we’re going to be in a month’s time, two month’s time.”
Although these levels are below average, the recent stormy weather has brought much-needed snowpack to the region
Madison Condon, a spokesperson for Palisades Tahoe, said the resort usually begins its ski season around Thanksgiving. But lacking snowfall resulted in the ski season starting in early December instead.
But with over six feet of snowfall falling from December 20th to the 26th, she said the resort has been able to open up 80% of its ski area with the expectation that this number will increase.
“It’s been incredible going from kind of dirt everywhere to, I’m looking out my office window and I’m seeing snow covered trees and just people skiing all over the place,” Condon said. “We are completely covered in snow.”
The Phillips Station measurements are 21% of the April first average for this date, which is when snowpack levels typically peak in California. Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, DWR’s state hydrometeorologist, said the state still has a ways to go in order to reach that April average.
“The past winter storms definitely have helped California in a lot of ways,” she said. “But we’re really looking forward to the upcoming months and receiving additional storm systems.”
Fabbiani-Leon said an upcoming storm is forecasted to hit California during the afternoon on New Year’s Eve and last through the weekend. She said this storm could help boost snowpack levels.
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