El Niño helping to return Sierra Nevada to its normal snowy state
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029588
Los Angeles Times : Although California has been experiencing a major drought over the past several years, relief may be in sight. This year several early winter storms, strengthened by El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean, blanketed the Sierra Nevada with heavy snow. The snowpack is 94% of normal for this time of year, compared with 5% last year, which was the lowest in 500 years. David Rizzardo of the California Department of Water Resources and coworkers have been monitoring the amount of precipitation in the mountains with automated snow sensors and manual measurements. Tracking the snowpack is important not just to local officials, environmentalists, and recreation-based businesses but also to the entire state: Runoff from the mountains helps fill major reservoirs.
