The winter season has been off to a snowy start. While skiers may be rejoicing, firefighters remain on edge.
Officials from the state's Department of Water Resources said Thursday the precipitation levels have been better than at this point last year., although they're still below average There were 33.5 inches of snow at hillips Station near Lake Tahoe for the first measurment of the winter.
Cal Fire says it is pleased with the first January survey results of snowfall in the Sierra Nevadas. The readings show that the amount of water contained in the snowpack are near average, but fire officials caution that this won’t mark the end of fire season because dry land and the potential lack of water supply are always a concern.
Today, DWR conducted the 1st Phillips Station snow survey of 2020. The manual survey recorded 33.5" of snow depth & a snow water equivalent of 11", which is 97% of average for this location. Statewide, the Sierra snowpack is 90% of average.More here: https://t.co/3tmZC5XFkh pic.twitter.com/bA4y4PaLDk
— CA - DWR (@CA_DWR)
January 2, 2020 Deputy Chief Mike Mohler told KCBS Radio that a few storms don’t serve as a cure-all because the land is still dry and the water from that snowpack has yet to melt.
“We really don’t use the term fire season, it is year-round,” Mohler explained. “Right now is considered ‘winter preparedness’.”
California is still technically in peak fire season, which has become longer and longer, Mohler said.
“We’ve seen in the last five years that our traditional season here in California has increased over 72 days just because of the type of weather we’re seeing,” Mohler said.
