Environment
California's Snow Hasn't Been This Depleted in 500 Years
A majorly diminished Sierra Nevada snowpack is something we should get used to, say researchers.
The Sierra Nevada is inseparable from California’s survival. More than two-thirds of the state’s water comes from the mountains, much of it from winter snow melting in the warmer seasons and flowing down to agricultural operations, reservoirs, and millions of thirsty people.
However, if the weather continues to be hot and dry, soon there might not be enough powder to roll a snowball. After examining tree rings and historical snowpack records, researchers announced today in Nature Climate Change that the Sierras haven’t had this little snow in at least five centuries. And it’s vanished in such a quick and startling way, it’s almost as if an army of truck-driving thieves stole it away in the night.