Sierra Snowpack Has Major Drop Over The Past Decade

Sierra snowpack is so vital to California as it provides one third of the state’s water supply and it seems more and more lately we are seeing this dwindle. You can see from 2002 to 2011 60% of the time the Sierra snowpack was 100% or better, a pretty good trend.

But take a look at the data for Sierra snowpack over the past 10 years. There’s only been two years that have reached 100% snowpack or better. In the past decade we have also had some of the warmest weather over the Sierra since records started in 1895. This included the years of 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020. These warmer temperatures leading to warmer storms bringing less snow.

Ahead, the climate trends show less snowpack, higher snow levels and longer fire seasons.

You can find out more about the Sierra snowpack in a story I recently covered in our climate coverage.