By Megan Nguyen As recently as this weekend, winter storms have brought much snow to the Sierra Nevada after five years of drought.
Warm temperatures have begun to melt the mountain snow that will flow down the valley through a network of rivers.
And with the large snowpack, these fast-flowing, cold conditions are likely to continue long into the summer season.
During the cooler winter, there is large variability in yearly precipitation – the most extreme in the nation – resulting in a wide potential for flood or drought in any year.
These frogs have adapted to California’s seasons and are genetically wired to lay eggs during the spring snowmelt when river flows recede and water temperatures increase.
On average, the snowpack provides about 30 percent of California’s water supply as it melts in the spring and early summer.
The average snow water equivalent (SWE) measures the amount of water contained within the snowpack.
As of June 1, 2017 the Central Sierra snowpack was 72% of the April 1 average, which is a dramatic increase from the last five years (Table 1.)
Also, earlier snowmelt may threaten California’s water supply and species dependent on snowmelt cues.
We are glad to see the mountains still capped with snow as they serve as an important water storage resource for California.