Friday March 24, 2023
FOX 40 —
Since the beginning of 2023, California has seen a record-setting amount of snow across the state, especially in the Sierra Nevada, setting up the state to close in on the records for the highest snow water equivalent, which was reached just over a decade ago.
Snow water equivalent is the amount of water that would result from melting the snowpack, according to the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab.
This year has seen heavy rain and snow pummel the state, including in lower-elevation communities that usually do not see snow, like El Dorado Hills, Auburn, Placerville, Santa Cruz, Walnut Creek and Oakland.
Since beginning measurements in 1984, the highest recorded snow water equivalent at the snow lab is 72.3 inches during the 2010/2011 water year.