Fresh Snowfall In Sierras Unlikely To Ease Drought Levels
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A wintry blast in the California mountains isn't likely to bring much water back to the Southland, but it could be a boon for ski resort operators.
KNX 1070's Brian Ping reports just when it looked like it was going to be a year without winter, a storm system brought at least six feet of snow to the Sierras this week.
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The fresh snow is expected to improve the state's water supply — which figures to be way down after a surplus last year — but experts say the powder they're seeing doesn't hold as much water as the harder stuff.
The water content held up in the mountains is only a third of the what forecaster predicted, and farmers in the Central Valley have been told to expect about half as much runoff as they had been hoping for this year.
Last May, state water officials warned snow levels across the Sierras posed a potential flooding threat to Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley in the event of a rapid warmup during the spring season.
But while the powder doesn't do much for an impending drought, skiers will likely be heading to the slopes as a sunny forecast for the weekend could make it an ideal time to hit the slopes.
