Dismal Sierra Snowpack WEST COAST WEATHER UPDATE Despite above normal precipitation for the month of February the average state-wide Sierra snowpack sits at a meager 19% of normal for March 3rd. Open Snow, a collective of meteorologists from ski regions, reports that the Tahoe area received 162% of normal precipitation during February. A series of storms that produced rain and high elevation snow in mid February dropped enough rain to raise the level of Lake Tahoe by five inches in a matter of a few days. However, skiers know that these storms did nothing to help the critical snowpack measurement. 'We’re kind of hovering … nudging up against the lowest snowpack on record,” said California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program Chief Frank Gehrke on Tuesday. “In general, conditions are very grim. We’re just not going to get significant storm activity to bring us out of the drought.' The impact of the snowstorm the region saw two weekends ago will likely be, for the most part, insignificant. Most of the water content that came from the storm will likely soak into the ground and will yield little runoff, Gehrke said. Each passing day the chances of another Miracle March fade as the long term forecast does not support any significant snowstorms on the horizon. The Tahoe area will be on the southern end of a warm system on Wednesday that should produce nominal snow above 7,000 feet. The long term forecast dabbles with the idea that we may see a chance for systems dropping into our area beyond the 8 day forecast window but everyone's getting tired of false optimism after the past four light winters.

from The CalNev Team - North Lake Tahoe 1 Million Plus Homes http://www.facebook.com/pages/p/693275294066368

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