2015 Snow levels

[enyapjr]

So what does this mean for 2015 thrus? Will I even see snow this year at all.

Yes, Ryan, you will see 'some' snow - at least on the passes; absolute worst case for lack of snow - only some snow on the northern side of the passes.

[enyapjr]

I was out last week along the N.W. border of Yosemite. On the north (protected) side of the ridges there was very little snow at 8,000 feet, much higher on the south sides. At the higher elevations there seems to plenty of deep snow.

In a typical year at this time there would be 4 to 8 feet on the ground at 6,000 feet. When they give the snow pack percentage it is the snow missing at the low elevations that reduce it. The snow depth at 12,000 might not be that far below normal. The storms we have had this season have been warm resulting in snow only at the higher elevations.

I have to disagree with some of what you said, Casey, mostly that "snow depth at 12,000 might not be that far below normal." Looking at the CDEC stations reports, <http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecstation/>, there isn't much of "normal" up there either - most stations above 10K' have less snow than last year, & much less in quite a few cases!
Statewide snow water content is now down to 8% (from 9% yesterday) of average - the 'missing' lower elevation snow pack does reduce the %age, but not 90% worth - there is a lot of 'missing' snow at higher elevations, too!
It doesn't take much snow depth/cover to make it appear from afar that it is "deep" when in reality it isn't.

No matter - it definitely does not bode well for CA's water situation (or predicament if looking for future solutions)!

[DLP]

It may also dump 3-4 feet in April/May. We will have to see.

I'm going skiing spring break.

Mt Rose webcams. http://skirose.com/web-cams
Mt Rose is at 8,000-9,000 feet. They are closing April 19... which is totally normal. They only make snow Nov/Dec/Jan. So there is snow. Not a lot. But there is snow.

Squaw Valley webcams
http://squawalpine.com/skiing-riding...-tahoe-webcams
High Camp is at 8,200 ft.

[frisbeefreek]

Remember that Trauma & Pepper just finished up and barely could find enough snow to ski on (his comment was that he linked 8 turns together - the entire Sierra's).

[enyapjr]

Remember that Trauma & Pepper just finished up and barely could find enough snow to ski on (his comment was that he linked 8 turns together - the entire Sierra's).

The lack of snow actually slowed them down quite a bit because they couldn't ski as much as they had planned (or hoped) - having to get off the skis at much higher elevations than anticipated due to exposed rocks...

[DLP]

On the radio today, California/Sierra snow pack is 6% of normal. Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

Here and Now - NPR - April 1
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/...426698661?mt=2

[5th]

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/envir...ctions-n334096

[Chive]

Compiled from a few recent articles following the release of the annual survey. Bottom line up front: not much snow out there (as others have already mentioned).

California's Department of Water Resources conducted its annual April 1 survey of the crucial Sierra snowpack. Runoff from snowmelt across the Sierra Nevada provides about 30% of the state’s average water supply. Nobody expected good numbers to emerge from the April 1 survey, given the obvious lack of snow across the Sierra, but the report was still a shocker. As the agency put it in its headline, without any need to exaggerate, “Sierra Nevada Snowpack is Virtually Gone.”

As of Wednesday, the snowpack held just 1.4 inches of water--only about 5% of its usual water content for the date, compared to a previous record low of 25% in both 1977 and 2014. At the Phillips snow course (elevation 6800 feet), the ground was completely bare for the first time in 75 years of early-April measurement. In a typical year, that course would be covered by more than five feet of snow.

This winter’s extreme mildness meant that much of the usual snowfall over the Sierra Nevada either arrived as rain or melted quickly. Never in its recorded history has the Sierra ended up with so little snow by winter’s end. Most of the ski areas in the Lake Tahoe region were closed by mid-March, weeks ahead of schedule. Some high-elevation rivers and streams will struggle to avoid running completely dry this year.

California’s lower-elevation grassland and shrubland fires tend to be at their worst when a wet year fosters growth that dries out over the following year. It’s a somewhat different picture in the high-elevation forests of the Sierra, where unusually dry, warm conditions in springtime are the main factor setting the stage for summer wildfires. The lack of snowpack and the persistent record heat suggest that a very serious wildfire risk could emerge at higher altitudes this summer.

Survey report: http://www.water.ca.gov/news/newsrel...snowsurvey.pdf

[rjhouser]

I'm pretty bummed out about this. Maybe choosing 2015 was a bad idea.

[Coffee]

The convenience of limited snow could well be offset by water difficulties and fire detours. I was actually looking forward to improving my knowledge of early season travel on snow and ice.

[5th]

I thought I would chime in with the snow situation here in Oregon, specifically at Willamette Pass (PCT mile 1914, about halfway through the state). I went hiking up there on April 4th. It's dismal. Usually Oregon has plenty of snowpack and the resulting water, even when California is in drought. In fact, Oregon usually supplies water to California. This year that will not likely happen as we are going to have a drought here too.

Willamette Pass is at 5,120'. Just down the road is Odell Lake at 4,787'. Take a look at the picture and caption in this story: http://registerguard.com/rg/news/loc...cerns.html.csp . That was last month. The Ski resort at the pass was only open for 3 days this year. 3 days.

I decided to take a hike around up there and see what it was like. When I got there on Saturday morning, this is what the sno-park looked like (N43.60395° W122.04534°, 5008' ASL):



I hiked all day (15 miles), about 90% of the time on snow. Most of the time I was post-holing about 2"-3", though I occasionally found places where I was sinking as much as 6". It was beautiful, but there should have been *feet* of snow. This level of snow usually doesn't happen until late June or early July. Here's an idea of what the PCT looked like (N43.64157° W122.00889°, 5608 ASL):



By the end of the day, this is what the sno-park looked like:



It appears that the issue is the temperature. Precipitation is low, but not that low. We are still getting a lot of rain. The thing is that highs at 6,000' should be in the high teens, not the high 30s. So even though it snows up there, it appears to be melting off, and most of the time it's just raining.

The downside is that fire season will be hell, and water sources will dry up far earlier than usual. The upside is that my hiking season will be greatly expanded this year. I don't think the trade is worthwhile.

By the time thru-hikers get here it's going to be dry, dry, dry. Be careful out there.

[Sasquatch!]

Anybody have any input on the current snow levels in Washington?

I'd like to knock out a few sections before I headback to Cali in June.

[Traveler]

Anybody have any input on the current snow levels in Washington?

I'd like to knock out a few sections before I headback to Cali in June.

It depends on where in Washington State you want to go. I have used the NPS ranger stations as a pretty good guide in assessing trail conditions and snow levels at this time of year. Talk to the nearest Ranger station to where you want to go and you'll get a fairly good idea.

[smoothsailin]

Anybody have any input on the current snow levels in Washington?

I'd like to knock out a few sections before I headback to Cali in June.

http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/snow/snowplot.cgi?HRPW1
80 inches at Harts Pass. Avg would be 100+

Good site for historic info.
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/site?sitenum=515

Good luck. I plan to head sobo in late June early July

Smooth Sailin