Little snow and rain mean drought - fire danger, calls for water conservation in California
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California’s wet season is coming to a close without a much-sought “March miracle” storm, setting the stage for a painful escalation of drought in the coming months.
The April 1 snow survey, which measures the peak accumulation of snow in the Sierra and southern Cascades just before it melts, will show only about 60% of average snowpack. California relies on this snow to fill its rivers and streams, to help keep forests and grasslands from burning catastrophically, and to provide up to a third of the state’s water.
California snowpack below normal with wet season ending
JOHN ANTCZAK, Associated Press
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1of8Sean de Guzman, chief of snow surveys for the California Department of Water Resources, checks the depth of the snow pack during the fourth snow survey of the season at Phillips Station near Echo Summit, Calif., Thursday, April 1, 2021. The survey found the snowpack at 49.5 inches deep with a water content of 21 inches.Randall Benton/APShow MoreShow Less
2of8Aided by John Paasch, left, and Anthony Burdock, right, Sean de Guzman, chief of snow surveys for the California Department of Water Resources, prepares to check the depth of the snow pack during the fourth snow survey of the season at Phillips Station near Echo Summit, Calif., Thursday, April 1, 2021. The survey found the snowpack at 49.5 inches deep with a water content of 21 inches.Randall Benton/APShow MoreShow Less
It s now April, which means that California s rainy season has officially come to an end.
And because we re not likely to see much more precipitation until next winter, it s the perfect opportunity to reflect on where we re at in terms of water throughout the state, and what the rest of the year is going to look like.
In short: it s bad.
We re now officially entering our second year of worsening drought conditions after a paltry showing of rain and snow back in 2020.
That left us in a critically dry position in the fall, with 84% of the state experiencing some level of drought. And because of the disappointing showing of precipitation over the past four months, that s now spread to 91% of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.