‘No Measurable Snow’: Klamath Surveys Reflect One of California’s Worst Snow Years

Sunset on Mt. Shasta last night shows a light snowpack. [Crop of an image from the Mt. Bradley ALERTCalifornia cameras]

Yesterday, the Klamath National Forest released the final snow surveys of the season which found that snowpack in the Scott River watershed had almost entirely disappeared by May 1. State and federal water officials have described this year’s snowpack conditions as among the worst California has seen in modern recordkeeping.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, snow depth and snow water equivalent — the amount of water stored in the snowpack — measured just 0.8% of historical average across the Scott River sub-basin during May surveys.

“[S]pring conditions are well underway at all the snow survey sites,” the Forest Service stated, noting that only the highest survey location in the Middle Boulder Basin retained measurable snow.

The findings mirror statewide trends documented this spring.

The California Department of Water Resources announced on April 1 that surveyors found “no measurable snow” during the critical Phillips Station snow survey in the Sierra Nevada after what officials described as a record-hot and exceptionally dry March. Statewide snowpack measured just 18% of average on April 1 — typically the seasonal peak.

According to the Department of Water Resources, warm storms and unusually high temperatures caused snow to melt weeks ahead of schedule, with many monitoring stations across the West already completely melted out by early April.

Federal drought officials described the situation as a “snow drought” affecting much of the western United States. “This year, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming all set new record-low April 1 SWE values since SNOTEL monitoring began in the 1980s. California recorded its second-lowest April 1 SWE value,” reports the National Integrated Drought Information System.

For Humboldt, Trinity, Siskiyou and surrounding counties, the disappearing mountain snowpack could have downstream consequences later this summer.

The Scott River watershed feeds into the Klamath River system, where cold snowmelt normally helps raise flows and cooler river temperatures through the dry season. The loss of snow early can contribute to lower and warmer river conditions that stress salmon and steelhead populations already facing long-term pressures.

Water experts have warned that earlier runoff also leaves less water available later in summer for fisheries, recreation, hydropower and agriculture. CalMatters reported in March that California’s snowpack —sometimes described as the state’s largest natural reservoir — was melting at roughly 1% per day during the heat wave.

The early disappearance of snowpack may also worsen fire conditions across inland Northern California.

Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler stated, “When the snowpack is low, that moisture disappears faster. Vegetation dries out weeks earlier than normal, and the drier the grass and brush, the easier it ignites, and the faster fire moves through it.”

Despite the poor snow season, California reservoirs remain relatively healthy due to heavy rainfall in recent years and additional storms in April. But water experts warn that shrinking snowpack creates long-term concerns because snow normally releases water slowly throughout summer rather than all at once during spring runoff.

The Klamath National Forest’s snow surveys are part of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program. Forest Service crews travel monthly during winter and spring to established monitoring locations in the headwaters of the Scott River watershed. Some of the sites have been monitored for as long as 80 years.

Additional statewide snowpack data is maintained by the California Department of Water Resources Snow Surveys Program.