With the end of the ski season around the corner, the California Department of Water Resources noted that the 2021 winter season may lead to the state’s third driest year on record. Public Information Officer Chris Orrock said the department’s April snow survey at Phillips Station, near the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and Sierra-at-Tahoe Road, revealed 49.5 inches of snow depth and 21 inches of snow water equivalent. Orrock qualified the survey’s findings by calling them “a snapshot of a location at a specific time frame” and added, “statewide, on that same day, we only average 16.5 inches of snow water equivalent.“