March Snow Survey Results from the Klamath National Forest
Unofficial snow height staff near the Swampy John survey course, visible adjacent the County Road heading up to Etna Pass – March 2, 2023.
Credit: USDA Forest Service
Press release from the Klamath National Forest:
The Klamath National Forest has completed its March 1 snow surveys as part of the statewide California Cooperative Snow Survey program. These measurements support California’s efforts to forecast water availability for agriculture, hydropower, recreation, and streamflow management throughout the year.
February brought significant weather variability to the region. A mid‑month storm delivered substantial snowfall and cold temperatures, briefly boosting snowpack levels. However, an atmospheric river arrived near the end of the month, bringing unseasonably warm temperatures and periods of heavy rainfall that eroded many of those gains.
Across all survey sites, snow depth measured 34.2 percent of the historical average, while Snow Water Equivalent (SWE)—the measure of water content in the snowpack—registered at 33.4 percent of the historical average. Snowpack typically reaches its seasonal peak between late March and early April.
Snow surveys are conducted monthly from February through May. Forest Service crews travel to long‑established monitoring sites in the headwaters of the Scott River watershed to collect measurements. The newest site at Scott Mountain has been monitored for 40 years, while the oldest, at Middle Boulder, has been measured for 80 years. Some locations are easily accessible from nearby Forest roads, while others require hours of travel by snowshoe or snowmobile.
Surveyors measure snow depth and SWE using a snow sampling tube equipped with a cutter. The tube is driven through the snowpack to determine depth; the extracted core is then weighed to calculate water content. All data is submitted to the State of California and incorporated into the California Cooperative Snow Surveys program, managed by the California Department of Water Resources. Additional information is available at https://cdec.water.ca.gov/
snow.html.
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The mountains are experiencing snow-where near enough snow.
There’s some snow still where there’s normally snow, but, there’s only about 1/4 the normal depth, and a huge anomalous heat wave on the way. So: bummer.
I blame the Trump administration. He must have tarriffed the Canadian frozen water supply.
Well, yes, actually, very perceptive of you. Trump has removed air quality controls that reduce greenhouse gases which enhance global warming as CO2 and other contaminants accumulate. Climate changes over time but WE at over 8 billion and counting are a new factor. The weather gets crazier every year. The second election of Trump was America’s second attempt at political suicide. We’ll see if the patient survives this one. Maybe 50/50. At least AI will be available to write those apologies to the grandkids. We didn’t know how evil he was after 40 years of public asininity. We were SO angry at nasty America! Imagine thousands of kids getting the same letter from Gram and Gramps.