Before and After Pictures Show Key Difference in Nevada Snowpack

Photos recently shared by the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Las Vegas revealed a key difference in snowpack levels between this year and last year.

After years of drought, an abnormally wet winter produced more than a dozen atmospheric rivers that brought a deluge of rain and snow to the region. A similarly wet winter has happened this year, with multiple atmospheric rivers bringing torrential downpours to California, Nevada, and other western states.

However, despite the storms, the region’s snowfall hasn’t been as impressive as it was last year.

On Monday, NWS Las Vegas shared satellite images comparing the snowpack in the Spring Mountains in March of this year to the snowpack in March of last year. The 2023 photo shows a much more impressive snowpack.

The office posted the photos with the caption, “[satellite] view of the snowpack on the Spring Mountains. Hard to live up to last year’s snowpack (2nd photo for comparison).”

In a follow-up post, the office shared another series of images that highlighted the comparison, writing: “The differences become more apparent when looking at the Snow Water Equivalent. We’re currently at ~1/2 of last year’s liquid amount.”

There’s still time for more snow to fall before spring sets in, but NWS meteorologist Dan Berc told Newsweek that the snow levels will be higher, likely above 7,000 feet in elevation, as the temperatures rise. He said any big precipitation events will likely come as rain.

Despite its lackluster comparison to last year, the Spring Mountains’ snowpack is still near normal. Three NWS monitoring stations on the Spring Mountains have documented snow as 76 percent of normal, 94 percent of normal, and 126 percent of normal. Last year, the stations ranged from 250 to 400 percent of normal.

“Last year was historically good,” Berc said.

Some of the snowpack in the Spring Mountains drains into Lake Mead, which has steadily been rising after years of drought plummeted the lake to concerningly low levels in 2022. Although the mountain snowpack is near normal, Berc said the resulting snowmelt will be a “drop in the bucket” compared to what the lake receives from the Rocky Mountains to the north.

California also has experienced much less snow than in 2023. Much of the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains was below normal until a massive storm bringing more than 100 inches of snow to the state’s high-elevation areas remedied the issue. The storm hit the state in early March.