Recent storms have drastically improved California's snowpack buildup in the surrounding mountains.
Snowpack is essential to the state's water supply, which largely comes from reservoirs and rivers.
The recent storms caused a lot of rain and snow in higher areas, due to a series of atmospheric rivers—long, concentrated corridors of tropical moisture, that when released, can cause severe rainstorms. The storms have caused severe flooding and landslides in many areas.
Last year, a series of atmospheric rivers helped to improve the state's drought status. Before then, the state had been in severe drought conditions, with many reservoirs facing a severe water shortage. These storms helped caused above average snowpack levels, which melted in the spring and replenished the state's reservoirs and rivers. Although this year is not having quite the same effect, weather experts have noticed that the snowpack is making a comeback as a result of the more recent storms.
California's snowpack rests in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
The Earth is also currently in an El Niño weather pattern. This typically brings wetter than usual weather to this region of the United States. While this does not explain the wet weather last year, which was an anomaly, it could well be why the state is seeing such extreme rainfall early this year.
Last year, there was such a high amount of snowpack that it even caused flooding when it melted with the warmer summer months. Some reservoirs even reached maximum capacity, which had previously been unheard of in the drought-stricken state.
The state's largest reservoir, Lake Shasta, is just one example of how high snowpack levels can bring much needed water to the region.
Following the high snowpack levels last year, the lake's water levels reached near capacity. Its water levels once again began to decline over the fall, but started to rise again after the most recent atmospheric rivers.
Colin McCarthy, a storm chaser, weather expert and atmospheric science student at UC Davis, shared a time lapse video on Twitter, showing how the snowpack has built.
California's snowpack has made a fantastic comeback this winter jumping from a dismal 28% of normal on January 1 to 86% of normal today.
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) February 23, 2024
With more storms possible in early March it's possible we could see a 100% of normal snowpack by April 1! pic.twitter.com/oSYOnQWveP
"California's snowpack has made a fantastic comeback this winter jumping from a dismal 28% of normal on January 1 to 86% of normal today," he wrote. "With more storms possible in early March it's possible we could see a 100% of normal snowpack by April 1!"
It remains to be seen how the state's snowpack will continue to build this winter, and whether any more storms continue to add to the levels.
Despite the recent onslaught of wet weather, experts have warned that it does not mean California is completely out of the woods. Climate change has meant that extreme weather patterns are becoming more commonplace. It is possible that a prolonged period of drought could threaten water levels once again in the future.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
