We all know that this year is a bad year. Hearing exactly how bad is the tipping point. Hearing that it’s the second worst snowpack on record just hurts.
I just got off the phone with Randal Osterhuber from the UC Berkeley Snow Lab on Donner Summit. Here are the numbers…
HOW THIS YEAR IN TAHOE RANKS AGAINST WORST YEARS:
– Snowdepth = 2nd Driest on record
– Total Snowfall = 3rd Driest on record
– Total Precipitation = 3rd Driest on record
DRIEST WINTER IN TAHOE ON RECORD:
– Winter of 1976/77
– On March 8th, 1977 Tahoe had:
Total Snow = 2.4 meters (94.5 inches)
Snow Depth = 50 cms (19.7 inches)
Total Precipitation = 702 mm (27.6 inches)
THIS YEAR AS OF MARCH 8TH, 2012 IN TAHOE:
– Snow Depth = 84cms (33.1 inches) = 40% of average to date
– Total Snowfall = 4.1 m (161.4 inches) = 55% of average to date
– 549 mm (21.6 inches) of total precipitation = 59% of average to date
AVERAGE TAHOE SNOW NUMBERS AS OF MARCH 8TH, 2012:
– Total Snowfall Average = 747cms (294.1 inches)
– Total Snowdepth Average = 197cms (77.6 inches)
– Total Precipitation Average = 932mm (36.7 inches)
BRIGHT SPOT:
– Over the past 40 years our winters have shifted to having more precipitation in the spring months of April and May.
– Keep those fingers crossed for an Awesome April and Magic May.