US National Weather Service Reno Nevada
This graph shows the comparison between this year’s Snow Water Equivalent, in red, and the 30 year Average Snow Water Equivalent, in blue, for the Sierra Snow Lab near Donner Pass. The water year started out fairly average through the first half of December, then SWE rapidly increased above average for late December. There has been very little additional accumulation since the end of December and now the region is anomalously low. While the totals vary from one location to another across the Sierra, this trend is shared for all locations. The model precipitation and 500mb heights image on the right shows the main reason why precipitation has shut off for the region. In general, strong high pressure has been situated off the coast of California since the beginning of January with only a few transient storms moving through. Ridging is disrupting the flow of moisture that would feed any storm systems moving through California/Nevada. Long term models continue this trend of drier than normal conditions into March.
for confirming
Solid January!
last seasons red line stayed flat all season
I guess you missed March then.
womp rockies womp
Sweet Rocky Mountain Pow!
people are hating but thats ok ive been skiing pow all season…and nice 5% water pow at that…
That graph for the Average Year maps the typical mans sex life after getting married with April 1st being the wedding day.
hahah rough, remind me never to get married
c’mon unofficial, give this guy a fuckin hat. That comment was way funnier than most.
Only the ones who don’t take their wives skiing…..
Well at least the Avy conditions have been low…end of this month it begins!
Definitely a telling graph, though my optimistic side likes to observe that “Average Year” is really just a regression line. The Sierra are almost always boom and bust for snow. Here’s hoping for another big boom with -PNA, -AO, -NAO, MJO sector 2/3 somewhere around the end of the month.
how does this compare to the same time last year?
Last year we had 6 weeks of dryness. All Jan and First 2 weeks of Feb. And then it was on! The major difference is snow pack. Sqauw blew there water load too soon and had nothing for a base last year(hence white strip of death). We are furtnate to have had that one big series right before Xmas this year.
And the cold temps after the holiday storm kept the snow around nicely.
Miracle muthafuckin March
winter is about to hit phase 2….gonna be epic in march as usual!
its coming… It does every March, April, and May
Everyone knows it doesn’t snow in the winter in the Sierra’s. Just in the fall and spring. But when it does…
Last week stunk- “spring conditions” frozen semi boiler plate w/ no off trail skiing
possible until Friday am. A piddly little storm Thurs night dropped 4 inches on west shore & 2 inches on east shore. This improved the skiing greatly for 3 days.
Could be called good “New England Powder” lol