California Hits Its Deepest Snowpack in 5 Years

Storms gusting in from the El Niño-warmed Pacific have caused traffic hell in coastal California, but higher up they’ve been a boon for the drought-consumed state. Whereas the mountains had the thinnest of snowpacks last January, they now sport a robust, crystalline blanket that’s the deepest it’s been in 5 years.

That’s important, because much of the state relies on melting mountain snow for its water and hydroelectric-energy needs. This promising development is well-illustrated in a NOAA comparison of satellite images from the Januarys of 2015 and 2016. (The white stuff over the state’s middle last year is Tule fog, which is common in the winter, although it’s appearing less and less with the drought and warmer temperatures.)