The last couple of winters have seen above normal snowpacks statewide, but this year we are seeing a range of conditions from above normal in the north to well below normal in the south.
February brought above normal precipitation in most areas, boosting March 1 snowpacks above median in the Northern Great Basin, Humboldt, Owyhee, Snake and Clover Valley – Franklin basins.
A few more storms in March will push each of these basins above their normal peak snow amounts by April 1.
Snowpack conditions in the eastern Sierra are slightly less than normal and these basins will have to play catch up in March. Fortunately,
Lake Tahoe is storing plenty of water to meet demands on the Truckee River this summer and Lake Tahoe is forecast to rise about another foot during snowmelt.
The Truckee Canal has been flowing since early January to move water from the Truckee River to Lahontan Reservoir to supplement inflows from the Carson River.
Lahontan Reservoir’s storage is above normal for this time of year.
Reservoirs storage is also above normal in Stampede, Bridgeport, Topaz, Chimney Creek, Rye Patch, and Wildhorse reservoirs.
The areas of greatest concern are Eastern Nevada and the Spring Mountains where snowpacks are 55% and 35% respectively.
Across the state water year precipitation since October 1 ranges from 67% of median in the Spring Mountains, to 78% in Eastern Nevada, 85-97% in the Sierra and 105-136% across the rest of northern Nevada.
Streamflow forecasts across the region vary widely from south to north as well, from 56-204% when expressed as a percent of median due to the spread in conditions.
Weather forecasts look promising for additional storms through the middle of March.
Hopefully the storm track benefits the entire state, especially eastern and southern Nevada where drought conditions have worsened in recent months.
Full Report: Continue reading the report at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/nevada/nevada-snow-survey