In a region where extreme weather is the norm, a “normal” snow year for Sierra Nevada is illusive, according to Jeff Anderson, hydrologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
But that’s exactly how 2024’s snow year is clocking in, Anderson said Monday, as he stabbed a long tube into untouched powder on Mount Rose, measuring the amount of water in the snow.
“It took those storms over this weekend to push us above that normal peak amount,” he said.
Measurements at the Mount Rose SNOTEL site put the snow depth at 112 inches, with just under 37 inches of water content. It’s 105% of median, putting the snowpack just above a middle-of-the-road winter.
Sites across the region are seeing similar results. Truckee, Carson, and Walker basins are 102-113% of their normal peak, meaning they’ve reached just slightly above an average amount of snow water in a single season.
“That’s really great news because back in January we were way below 50 percent of normal. For the basin we were 44 percent – for the Truckee Basin. So now we’re up above a normal peak amount of snow for the year,” Anderson said.
The catch is that “normal” is not so normal in Northern Nevada. In the last 44 years, just 13 winter seasons resulted in a snowpack that ranged from 80-120% of the median peak, according to NRCS data. That means 70% of winter seasons either fell well below or well above an average snowpack.
Inconsistent numbers have an impact on Northern Nevada’s water supply.
“Before March, it looked like we were not going to be able to fill any of the reservoirs, and now it looks like we should fill all of the reservoirs,” said Chad Blanchard, U.S. District Court Water Master for the Carson and Truckee rivers.
He added that the bar was lower this year, considering winter 2023 left the region with double the normal amount of snow.
“We had a lot of carry over from last year because we had such a big year, so that makes it much easier to fill the reservoirs this year,” he said.
The importance of filling the reservoirs, Blanchard added, is related to the inconsistency of Sierra Nevada winters. Water storage keeps the Truckee and Carson rivers flowing during seasons that fall below average.
“If we fill Tahoe, we can typically make it through three summers. So that summer right after we fill, and two more, if we have dry years,” he said.
And while he was happy to see March storms bring the region’s snow water up to normal levels, Blanchard said he’s hopeful for even more April showers.
