“The snow was endless, a heavy blanket on the outdoors; it had a way about it. A beauty. But I knew that, like many things, beauty could be deceiving.” 
― Cambria Hebert

 Well, we asked for it and we are getting it.  Seemingly all at once.  I am talking about snow. 

Did you know Sierra Nevada, in Spanish, means “snowy mountain range”? If you have seen any pictures from Mammoth or the rest of the Eastern Sierra lately that name is very appropriate.

As of February 17th, a series of December/February storms has given Mammoth Mountain over 543 inches of snow; as reported by the National Weather Service.  That is a tad over 45 feet!  Enough snow to make Mammoth Mountain the official “snowiest ski resort” in the nation!  It should be noted the show isn’t over yet either.  With all this snow Mammoth Mountain announced that it will be open for skiing through July 4th.

The California Department of Water Resources has reported that the Sierra Snow Pack had a snow water equivalent that was 130 percent of normal as of February 11, 2019. Compare that with February 15, 2018, when the snow cover was just 21 percent of normal. 

This is great news for California.  The coming melt from the Sierra Nevada is crucial in recharging California’s reservoirs. Our reservoirs are already looking good.  Recent data shows that the majority of reservoirs are already more than half-full, and some are above average for the middle of February.

Those officials that track the rainy season and declare drought conditions are hopeful that current above average snow pack could insulate the state from drought this summer.

We can thank a phenomenon called atmospheric rivers, a storm system type that transports a narrow, low-level trough of moisture across the ocean and then dumps large amounts of precipitation on land.

Let’s hope the season continues, but gives the folks who live in the Eastern Sierra a few breaks to dig out!