Snowpack surges to 143% of normal; drought not called off
By Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee
Late-season storms did wonders for California’s snowpack, fluffing those white drifts in the Sierra Nevada to 143 percent of average as of Friday. A month ago, the total stood at 106 percent of normal.
The readings came in the season’s final snow survey on Friday by the California Department of Water Resources. This last survey is often used to firm up water delivery projections for cities and farms, for whom snowmelt is the most important supply. State and federal agencies both expect to do so, perhaps as soon as early next week, and the
Lake Oroville is 71 percent of normal on April 30. Photo/Kathryn Reed
allocations will likely be increased.