Posted on 03/31/2011 11:59:11 PM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult
Sierra Nevada snowpack stands at 165 percent of average, a level not seen since 1995 and one that puts the 2010-2011 winter near the top of the record lists.
"This year's snowpack counts as one of the big ones -- there aren't many of them," said Maury Roos, veteran meteorologist with the California Department of Water Resources.
During their monthly snow depth survey in a field near the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort, department officials Wednesday morning found 124 inches of the powdery, white stuff.
A staggering 740 inches of snow have fallen at Donner Summit this winter -- one of only four years since 1900 in which totals exceeded 700 inches, according to the Department of Water Resources. The average snowfall for the spot is about 400 inches.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Whitewater’s gonna be wicked fierce this summer!
First, snow reflects heat and more of it has a cooling effect. Too much of it and for too long, you could be witnessing an ice-age in the making. Gradual to us, but in the span of Earth Time, a couple of years with record cold and snow are the blink of an eye. In fact, 500 years may be the equivalent of Mother Nature reaching for the thermostat.
Second, for those who've shoveled snow, it is heavy. Snow and water have a lot in common except that snow stays put and doesn't seek the lowest point until it melts. While it sits there, it pushes down on things with a lot of force. Is it too far fetched to imagine some effect on tectonic plates might occur with this displaced "water" upon land masses that might cause them to 'move' slightly, causing ripples like the 9.0 in Japan?
Al Gore's got money, what he needs to do it get over his loss to George W. Bush in 2000.(That was bullet-dodgin' time, America)
Looks like I won't be asking SierraWasp to double-flush his toilets this summer as we'll have plenty of water to keep the lake levels up. In return, I'll tune my lawn mower so the air up his way won't be so chunky.
if SoCal does get a 9.0 fron the snowpack, I just hope that the Tsunami focuses on taking out Al Gore’s new home!
All sarcasm aside it doesn’t look good for rivers like the San Joaquin. Recent flood waters are coming down now but when the snow pack melts this summer, they expect record flooding.
But if it similar to 1995, was there flooding then?
At least it finally shut up the fools screaming drought. It has rained in the lower elevations almost constantly this year in Northern CA, which means it snowed heavily at the higher elevations.
Let us pray that we don’t have a warm rain on snow event. Let’s hope it is just nice and sunny from now until June and the snow melts slowly into the streams.
Drought Monitor http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html March 30, 2010 - March 29, 2011 http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/archive.html
Yes, widespread flooding. I exaggerate, but California basically has two types of land. Mountain and floodplain.
Low lying area’s are going to catch hell when it starts melting.
About 15 years ago or so we saw photos of all the lakes that were going dry. These lakes were fed from spring run off from melting snow in the Sierras. How are those lakes doing now?
I used to live and work at Lake Tahoe, worked at a ski resort and then for two years on a sternwheeler cruise boat.
This was back around 1990 and the lake was at record low levels, so hearing news like this it only sounds like a win win situation for lake Tahoe which is an alpine lake, its source of water is ONLY from snowmelt.
If housing wasn’t such a hassle I would still be living there but when I di you could not hardly do anything to your house or property without a committees approval.
Friend of mine from work goes boarding every weekend at Kirkwood. He says the 60 ft. of snow is just incredible this year. Unfortunately, the resorts are shutting down soon. When the temps start hitting high 70s and 80 like they did the last two days, people lose interest in snow sports.
South Fork American River!!!
Now if they will just drop the price of water to! No no no, can’t do that. You must still conserve water for the children. /s/s/s/s/s
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