Cali Drought Buster: 61 feet of Sierra snow!

And you think we've had a snowy winter in Minnesota?

AP photo shows the Soda Springs store and post office covered in snow. Here's the story from AP.

The drought is over in California.

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That's the word from California Governor Jerry Brown after the latest round of winter storms boosted season snowfall totals to 61 feet in the high Sierra. The region's snowmelt feeds California's reservoir system, which is expected to approach 100% capacity this spring & summer.

California transportation officials say more than 61 feet of snow has fallen in the Sierra high country so far, second to the 1950-51 season, when a total of 65 feet fell.

The latest Sierra snow survey shows snowpack is running at 165% of normal in California's mountain ranges.

Here are some excerpts form the report from the California Department of Water Resources.

SACRAMENTO -- Department of Water Resources (DWR) hydrologists today

announced that water content in California's mountain snowpack is 165 percent of

the April 1 full season average.

"Recent storms have significantly contributed to the above-average snowpack,

helping to stabilize California's water supply for the year," said DWR Director Mark

Cowin.

After the snowpack readings were in, Governor Jerry Brown officially rescinded

former Governor Schwarzenegger's emergency proclamations and executive order

issued in 2008 and 2009 relating to water shortage associated with the drought.

Snowpack water content is measured both manually on or near the first of the

month from January to May, and in real-time by electronic sensors.

Today's manual survey and electronic readings are the most important of the year,

since April 1 is when the state's snowpack normally is at its peak before it melts into

streams and reservoirs in the spring and summer months.

March precipitation has helped register 2011 among the top years in snowpack

water content, despite dry weather conditions in January and early February.

The mountain snowpack provides approximately one-third of the water for

California's households, industry and farms as it melts into streams and reservoirs.

Electronic readings indicate that water content in the northern mountains is 174

percent of the April 1 seasonal average.

Electronic readings for the central Sierra show 163 percent of the April 1 average.

The number for the southern Sierra is 158 percent. The statewide number is 165

percent."

This is great news for the California water supply.

Certainly puts our little Thursday rain/snow mix (and our winter season snowfall) in perspective!

PH