California’s snowpack has shrunk to about two-thirds of normal, as the state’s relentless drought produced the driest January and February on record and raised the likelihood of more wildfires and deeper water cuts to cities and farms.
A manual survey conducted Tuesday by the state Department of Water Resources showed a snowfield near Lake Tahoe was at 68% of normal. Electronic readings of snow across the Sierra Nevada range, which supplies much of California’s water when it melts, stood at 63% of normal for March 1. With forecasts showing no major storms on the horizon, state officials expressed little hope that March would make up for the deficit by the time the California wet season ends in April.
“It’s safe to say we will end this [water] year dry,” Sean de Guzman, manager of the agency’s snow surveys, said at a briefing after taking the manual measurement Tuesday.
The dry spell comes after California experienced one of its wettest Decembers on record and snow piled up more than 15 feet in the Sierra Nevada. But the statewide snowpack that measured 154% of normal on Jan. 1 steadily shriveled, as a high pressure ridge moved into place along the coast and deflected storms. Downtown San Francisco recorded 0.65 inches of rain in January and February, compared with a normal of 8.77 inches, said National Weather Service meteorologist Drew Peterson
State officials blame climate change for the increased frequency and severity of drought, which is also plaguing many other parts of the American West. “We are seeing these extremes we have never seen before, and honestly models never would have predicted before,” said David Rizzardo, hydrology section manager for the state water agency.
Now, California will have to once again brace for two of the major consequences of drought: heightened wildfire danger and diminished water supplies. After 2.6 million acres burned last year and a record 4.3 million in 2020, state officials say this year could be just as bad because new grass and brush started growing during December and quickly turned dry—a flammable combination.
Temperatures have been above normal, too, with San Francisco recording daytime highs of 2.2 degrees higher than normal in January and 3.5 higher in February, according to the National Weather Service. Besides raising the fire danger, Mr. Rizzardo said the warmer temperatures are melting snow before it can run off into the state’s reservoirs as happened last spring.
With major reservoirs such as Shasta Lake at 37% of capacity and Lake Oroville at 47%, state and federal officials have instituted cutbacks to users. The federal Bureau of Reclamation on Feb. 23 announced an initial allocation of 0% to many farmers in the state’s Central Valley. Farmers now are preparing belt-tightening plans, which are expected to include far fewer crops planted and workers employed.
Some cities and suburbs could be affected, too. Already the major water agency in Marin County, north of San Francisco, has instituted water restrictions. Other agencies around the state have ramped up their use of reclaimed water and other conservation techniques to prepare for continued drought.
“We are dealing with unprecedented circumstances,” Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, said at a meeting of Colusa County water users on Feb. 17. “We continue to be optimistic, but it gets harder and harder as each day passes.”