Record Low Snowpack In Washington State
April 14, 2015 Just as California’s snowpack is gone, Washington State’s snowpack is depleting much faster than normal. This record low is logged by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) fourth 2015 forecast.
Scott Pattee, NRCS water supply specialist says 74% of monitoring sites have set record lows for snowpack.
“March was warm and dry in most of the West; as a result, snow is melting earlier than usual,” he says.
Peak snowpack is typically registered on April 1. However, according to the SNOTEL readings, the peak snowpack was reached earlier. Readings this year on April 1 were 22% lower than normal. The previous record low of 33% was set in 2005.
“The only holdout is in the Methow River Basin, which is reporting 79% of normal,” Pattee says. “Look at the data and you’ll see that almost everywhere else is at 50% or less of normal readings.”
Snowmelt accounts for the majority of seasonal water in the West. Information about snowpack serves as an indicator of future water availability.
For more information, visit USDA’s U.S. Drought Monitor, USDA Disaster and Drought Information, NRCS’ drought resources.
Source: USDA NRCS news release
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