Northern California hikers need to watch snowpack carefully for two reasons. One, the depth of the snowpack determines when we can first get up to our favorite hiking trails at high elevations. Two, a low snowpack means below-average precipitation, which frequently means more wildfires with attendant smoke and trail closures.
I recently wrote about the low snow levels at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Now I have an update on snowpack levels in Klamath National Forest, which stretches across a large section of the far northern part of California:
The first snow measurements of 2009 indicate that the water content of this winter’s snowpack on the Klamath National Forest is below average. Personnel of the Salmon/Scott River Ranger District have completed the February snow surveys and found snow depths to be below historical averages for the month.
“Snow courses” are designated locations that are used to provide information about the amount of snow and moisture each winter month. The current measurements for the snow courses in the southern portion of Scott Valley indicate that the snowpack has an average depth of 39% and an average water content of 35%. The depth of snow at the courses range from just under three feet at Swampy John to eight inches of snow atop Scott Mountain.
Historic lows include 6.3 inches at Middle Boulder in February 1963, and 6.4 inches in February 1991. The historic low at Scott Mountain course was 3 inches in February 1991.
Snow course data has been inventoried since 1946. Forest employees travel to those sites to collect information about accumulation in the mountains of the Klamath National Forest west of Scott Valley in Siskiyou County. Some snow course sites are located a few dozen yards off forest roads; others require hours of travel by snow shoes and snowmobiles.
The snow depth and water content are measured by probing the snow with specially designed aluminum tubes. The depth is measured and the water equivalent calculated by weighing the core of snow in the tubes. That information is provided to the state where it is compiled with other snow depth reports.
The California Cooperative Snow Surveys program is managed by the state Department of Water Resources. The combined snow surveys help to forecast the amount of water available for agricultural uses, power generation and stream flow releases later in the year. For more information, visit the California Department of Water Resources Website: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow
For more information about snow surveys on the Klamath National Forest call (530) 841-4485.
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Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo