Updated California Snowpack Numbers
Posted April 24, 2006 by Robyn Suddeth
When river guides sit around in April saying that they wish it would finally warm up and stop raining, you know that there must already be a LOT of snow up in those there mountains. Because otherwise, rain down here (from the coast to the foothills) means more snow up there, which means higher water for a longer period of time. And all river guides love that idea.Â
So, when a few friends and I were talking about how nice it would to just have sunny skies from here on out, it occured to me how spoiled we are this year with that amazing snowpack. And the numbers now are even HIGHER! It just doesn’t stop.Â
Here’s a summary of current conditions:
The American River Drainage: 200% of average… That means TWICE as much water as in an average year!!Â
The North Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced Rivers: 140% of average
The Kaweah River: 180% of average
The Cal Salmon: 235% of average!! That’s amazing… Northern California has seen record amounts of water in some places this year.
So, although I never thought I’d say this… I think we have enough water up there! The good news is that weather forecasts are predicting temperatures in the seventies and eighties some days next week. We can finally start to enjoy all that snow melting into California’s river! Â