Sierra Nevada snowpack measurement shows a dry winter.

California inching toward a statewide drought

The last Sierra Nevada snowpack measurement of the season Thursday confirmed what California officials have feared for months: The state has suffered through a dry winter.

The state Department of Water Resources announced that the snow was just 1.5 inches deep at its traditional measuring spot at Phillips Station, a vast field off Highway 50 near Echo Summit. The snow water equivalent was just a half an inch, or just 3% of average for this time of year.

The Phillips measurement was an outlier. A broader measurement taken by 130 electronic sensors throughout the Sierra revealed an average snow water equivalent of 8.4 inches, or 37% of average for this time of year.

The snow readings help the state’s hydrologists forecast how much runoff will flow into California’s rivers and reservoirs this summer.

“March and April storms brought needed snow to the Sierras, with the snowpack reaching its peak on April 9. However, those gains were not nearly enough to offset a very dry Jan

uary and February,” said Sean de Guzman, chief of DWR’s snow survey and water supply forecasts. “The last two weeks have seen increased temperatures, leading to a rapid reduction of the snowpack. Snowmelt runoff into the reservoirs is forecasted to be below average.”

The peak recorded April 9 was just 66% of average.

Separately, the U. S. Drought Monitor, a weekly survey run by the federal government of hydrologic conditions, said 41% of California is in drought.

That includes “extreme drought” conditions covering about 5% of California in the northwest corner of the state.

Though the Sierra snowpack typically accounts for 30% of the state’s annual supply, California is benefiting from the unusually strong rains of a year ago, leaving its major reservoirs in good condition for the dry summer months ahead. Officially, California has been out of drought since 2017.

Still, the state’s water situation remains precarious over the long haul. A recent study by scientists at Columbia University said California and the West are suffering through a mega- drought dating back to 2000 that ranks among the worst ever.