California drought risk rises as snowpack disappears

Why a warm spring is costing California its melt water

Parts of California could be headed for drought this summer as its mountain snow pack dwindles as low as zero.

Del Norte, northern Humboldt and western Siskiyou counties are in a moderate drought pattern as of mid-June, as is eastern San Bernardino County in the southeast part of the state, according to weather scientists at the U.S. Drought Monitor. The rest of Northern California and the eastern half of the state are in an unusually dry period following a heat wave that baked the West.

Drought conditions could spread to other parts of California facing hotter-than-average temperatures like Shasta and Siskiyou counties.

Much of the problem stems from unusually warm weather patterns in early spring, according to the Department of Water Resources. Warm storms brought more rain than snow to some mountain areas.

While state reservoirs are more full than average as of June 16, lakes rely on snowmelt to replenish them, climate scientists said. Less snowpack means less water stored to melt slowly throughout summer and into autumn.

How low did the snow go in June? The Department of Water Resources reported snow levels in the Northern Sierras and Cascades dropped as low as 0% of their average in June. Snowpack is down to 4% of average in the Central Sierras, 15% in the Southern Sierras.

Climatologists saw the problem brewing early in the year.

Winter storms were warmer than usual, the National Weather Service and water resources department reported. When it was too warm to snow, it rained instead, washing away snow at lower altitudes. Record-high temperatures and a very dry March reached mountain areas and other parts of the state, melting much of the snow.

The result was that the snow pack fell to 18% of its average on April 1, according to a report by the California Department of Water Resources, which surveys snow depths throughout the state.

On that date, a time of year when snowpack is historically high in the mountains, state surveyors in Northern California reported they “found no measurable snow” in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It’s “a stark indicator of how record‑hot March temperatures and high‑elevation rain have erased … snowpack months ahead of schedule,” the water resources department announced in April.

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What drought could mean for Californian Drought conditions usually impact agricultural industries first, the Department of Water Resources said, especially ranchers who graze livestock.

Early drought also hurts rural Californians who rely on private wells, and fish and other wildlife that depend on small streams.

People and animals living in large urban areas — ones with agencies that have multiple water sources — don’t usually feel the effects of drought as quickly, the department said.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook . Join Jessica on Record Searchlight Facebook groups Get Out! Nor Cal , Today in Shasta County and Shaping Redding’s Future . To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.

California drought risk rises as snowpack disappears

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