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DOSSIER – On file, February 28, 2019, John King, on the right, of the Department of Water Resources, wears the snowpack measuring tube as he crosses a meadow during the third manual snow survey of the Department of Water Resources. Season at Phillips Station near Echo Summit, Calif. The investigation revealed that the snowpack had a depth of 113 inches and a snow water equivalent of 43.5 inches at this location at this time of year. California water service officials said the amount of snow covering the Sierra Nevada was even more important than the 2017 snowpack that had pulled the state of five years of drought. According to the Department of Water Resources, as of May 30, 2019, the snowpack of the Sierra measured 202% of the average after torrential rains. (AP Photo / Rich Pedroncelli, File)
SAN FRANCISCO – The amount of snow covering the Sierra Nevada is even greater than the snowpack of 2017 that took the state out of five years of drought, officials said California's Water Division.
On Thursday, the snowpack averaged 202% after torrential rains in winter and spring, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.
The rain slowed but did not stop, thunderstorms triggering sudden flood warnings on Sunday in central and southern states.
Last year, the snowpack accounted for 6% of the average, 33 times more than in 2018, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
In 2017, the snowpack was 190% of the average.
The snowpack covers about 30% of the state's water needs.
In the Tahoe Basin, the Squaw Valley Ski Resort has seen so much snow that it plans to keep its runs open until July 5 at least. In May alone, Squaw recorded 94 centimeters (37 inches).
State officials consider that the most important measure of the snowpack is that taken around April 1, as this is usually the time when the storm activity calms down.
"And after that, the highest position of the sun in the sky contributes to the rapid melting, and this year it did not happen and we had snow at the end of the season," the paper said. the forecaster of the National Meteorological Service, Idamis Del Valle.
The reading on April 1 this year put the snowpack at 176% of the average, making it the fifth largest on this date, with records dating back to 1950, the Chronicle announced.
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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com
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