Two separate storm periods over the course of five weeks produced the bulk of this last winter's precipitation. The heavy and persistent snowfall during January and early February 2008 made national news.

Besides ensuring great skiing and snowboarding conditions, the big snow storms also allayed fears of another dry winter like we experienced in 2007. It was one of the driest on record at the Central Sierra Snow Lab at Soda Springs, near Donner Pass.

Slow Start
Many weather and water-alert people were concerned when this past winter was slow out of the gate. We had much-below average snowfall during November (Palisades Tahoe picked up only 8 inches all month). It was California?s 16th driest November in 113 years. December was no barnburner when it came to snowfall, but
several decent storms before the all-important Christmas holidays saved the day economically.

And Then?
The storm door blew open dramatically in early January, when a powerful low-pressure system from the Gulf of Alaska walloped California with high winds and heavy rain and snow. Low snow levels minimized flooding, but destructive wind gusts uprooted trees and knocked out electric power to millions of people.

Another round of storms pounded the Pacific Coast in late January and in to early February, a few which reached bone-dry Southern California. The 2007 water year had been the driest on record for the southland, but in the last part of January 2008, Los Angeles, picked up more rain in one week than the city had received for all of 2007.

By early February, state hydrologists felt optimistic about the healthy Sierra snowpack and forecasted normal flows for the spring runoff. (The snowpack is the State?s water reservoir.) Unfortunately, the storm track shifted after the first week of February and the intense, snow producing weather pattern was gone for good.

Record, Dry Spring
Tahoe ski resorts enjoyed one more significant winter storm, a healthy five-foot barrage of snow during the third week of February, but for the rest of the season Palisades Tahoe received only a meager 35 inches of additional snow on the upper mountain at 8,200 feet. A dry March was followed by an even more parched April, so it now appears that this spring (March, April, May) will go down as the driest on record for the Northern Sierra.

We are talking about a real winter breakdown here.


The lack of late winter precipitation diminished the snowpack and reduced runoff forecasts. On April 1 the statewide snowpack looked good with just under 100 percent of normal, but by May 1 water content had plummeted to just 61 percent of average west of Donner Pass. During water year 2007, a total of 45 inches of precipitation was recorded at Soda Springs. This year, despite the impact of many impressive snowstorms, only 43 inches of water have been measured at the Snow Lab.

Why? Because the most significant storm events were cold (Gulf of Alaska origin) and the snow was often dry and powdery. Dry snow has greater loft and will measure deeper than wet snow, but it won?t contain more water. Precipitation is snow melted for its liquid content combined with rainfall measured in the gage. But the dry snow made for great skiing and boarding.

So, let's get on with a wonderful summer!