California snow survey makes it official we’re all wet

Editorials,Water & Drought

The Times Editorial Board April 2, 2024

At the end of the rain and snow season, California is officially wet. The crucial April snow survey conducted Tuesday morning showed above-average Sierra snowpack. That means there will likely be enough melt over the rest of spring and summer to keep reservoirs from being depleted.

It’s not unexpected, but it’s a relief, because the season’s first survey showed a snowpack of only 25% of normal. A series of storms helped the state to catch up. The

survey showed a

snowpack

is nowof

64 inches, or slightly more than

five 5

feet, which is 113% of average at the measurement spot in El Dorado County.

Other studies Surveys in other locationsok?

show about 105% of average snowpack statewide.

“Average is awesome,” California

Dept. Department

of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth said Tuesday at the survey site.

Things could still go bad. A strong heatwave could melt the snowpack too quickly and lead to flooding. It might even cause portions to

simply

evaporate, as happened during the worst of the recent drought years. That’s part of the menace of climate change: Even when we get enough precipitation, it might not come at the right time, in the right place or under the right conditions to quench our thirst.

But for now, let’s celebrate. It was a wet year, and

will that

buy

s

us more time to toughen our drought resistance

measures

.