2 months ago
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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A caller snowfall survey revealed Kings River h2o supplies are down compared to past year, which whitethorn interaction the Central Valley's summertime supply.
“Snowpack information collected during the wintertime and outpouring months is captious to downstream San Joaquin Valley h2o agencies and users successful portions of Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties for whom the Kings River is the superior root of water,” said Kings River Water Association (KRWA) Watermaster Steven Haugen.
According to professionals, 2025 started with a "bone-dry" January pursuing large storms successful November and December 2024. However, contempt decent storms this twelvemonth successful February and March, their interaction lone reached parts of the Sierra Nevada.
"It’s not a bedewed twelvemonth crossed the full Sierra Nevada. The northbound has large snowpack, but snowpack is little than mean successful the cardinal and confederate portion of the upland range,” said California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Director Karla Nemeth.
Snow surveyors reported snowfall depths averaged 60 inches this twelvemonth compared to 70 inches successful an mean winter. Similar to March, the Kings River successful April has astir 2 to 3 inches little h2o contented compared to past year.
The April 1 survey is erstwhile Sierra Nevada snowfall conditions typically scope their highest for the season. In short, Haugen says "It's a decent year," adding that March's storms boosted the snowpack's frozen proviso to 79% mean for April 1.
"This twelvemonth is simply a acquisition successful wherefore we tin ne'er cognize for definite what our h2o representation volition look similar until we get to the extremity of our accepted bedewed season,” Andy Reising, manager of DWR’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit.
KRWA adds these captious surveys are astatine hazard pursuing national unit and backing cuts, including the nonaccomplishment of national employees to implicit these on-the-ground measurements.
