The Sierra finally gets some snow. But it’s of little relief in drought-ravaged California

Finally, some fresh snow.

Just not very much of it.

California’s worsening drought received a bit of relief late Monday with a light dusting of snow in the Sierra Nevada.

UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab recorded 1.6 inches of new snow at its measuring station near the Donner Summit — the first measurable snowfall in the area in 37 days. The lab said the dry spell was the longest it had ever recorded in its 51 years of monitoring Sierra winters, surpassing a 31-day stretch without snow in 1990.

The Sierra was pelted with record snowfall in December, raising hopes that the drought was easing. California officials agreed to release more water from the State Water Project to its member cities and farm-irrigation districts.

And then the faucet shut off, making it increasingly likely that California is heading into a third straight year of drought.

Climate experts say a high-pressure system parked over the Pacific has pushed wet weather northward and away from California. In the meantime, the snowpack has begun melting and evaporating. In a month’s time, the snowpack shrank by more than 2 feet at Phillips, the familiar measuring spot near Echo Summit used by the state’s snow surveyors.

The only good news is that the water has disappeared at a less alarming rate. Since peaking five weeks ago, the Sierra snowpack has lost an estimated 5% of its water content, according to the Department of Water Resources.

Still, any water loss could be critical. The snowpack is a major part of California’s elaborate water system, acting as a second set of reservoirs that can store supplies for summer and fall usage. An early-spring heat wave last year robbed the system of an estimated 800,000 acre-feet of water, largely because of snowpack evaporation. That’s nearly enough water to fill Folsom Lake.

There’s little precipitation in the forecast. Idamis Del Valle, of the National Weather Service in Sacramento, said there’s a chance of more snow this weekend or early next week, “but it wouldn’t be ... significant participation.” She said there’s no rain in the Sacramento area in the immediate forecast.

This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 1:40 PM with the headline "The Sierra finally gets some snow. But it’s of little relief in drought-ravaged California."