California Snowpack’s ‘Amazing’ Recovery Since January

California’s snowpack has made an “amazing comeback” this winter, according to a respected storm chaser at the University of California, Davis.

In April, the state’s total snowpack levels measured 110 percent of normal, prompting atmospheric science student Colin McCarthy to tweet: “California’s snowpack was just 28% of normal on January 1. An unprecedented winter comeback in the modern era.”

McCarthy, who runs extreme weather platform Stormwatch, added: “Looking through 30+ years of records, I could not find a winter in California with such a below-average snowpack in Jan/Feb that ended above average in spring.”

Since January, California has been battered with winter storms. A series of atmospheric rivers made landfall on the state from the end of February into early March, followed by a rare blizzard that increased snowfall in the Sierra Nevada.

Yosemite National Park had to close its doors due to extreme weather warnings set out by the National Weather Service.

Although these storms caused a deluge of precipitation, snowpack levels were still not quite as they were last year. Throughout 2023 the state was battered by intense winter storms that brought a record amount of snowpack in the surrounding mountains.

But a most recent storm over the Easter weekend has brought even more snow to the mountains, meaning snowpack levels have made an unexpected comeback.

Temperatures hovered around 50 degrees Fahrenheit during these most recent storms, when the snowpack recovered.

Snowpack is vital to the state’s water supply. In the spring months, when the snow melts, the water feeds into rivers and reservoirs.

The more snow in the mountains, the better the water storage.

The past two years have been unusual for California. Before 2023, the state was suffering from prolonged drought conditions due to a lack of precipitation.

The reservoirs were all at extremely low levels and the state was on the brink of a water crisis.

However 2023 brought much needed relief, with many reservoirs filling to capacity.

The year was so wet that the status was even completely lifted. And it looks as though this year, the state will continue to be free of drought.

Through this year, the globe is seeing an El Nino weather pattern, meaning wetter weather on the West Coast is expected.

However, experts have also put the intense drought conditions and storms down to climate change, as they seem to be intensifying around the globe. Whiplash periods of extreme drought, paired with extreme storms, could become more commonplace in coming years.

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