2021 likely a below average snow year

[oleander]

Curious, where does the CDEC locate the boundary between the "Northern" and the "Central" Sierra? The "Central" and the "Southern" Sierra?

Dramatic difference between the Central & Southern thus far this winter.

CDEC data today, snow water equivalent;

Northern Sierra 54%
Central Sierra 59%
Southern Sierra 40%
State-wide 69%

Much more snow in northern coast ranges brings up the statewide number.

[Wandering Daisy]

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snowapp/sweq.action

This page explains it.

[maverick]

NWS:

Snow water equivalent is a measurement of how much liquid is contained in a snowpack. We use these measurements to estimate spring runoff into area lakes and river systems.
As of today, SWE is generally running 70-90% of average around the Tahoe Basin (higher elevation sites are closer to 100%), but only 55-70% for Mono County. While most sites are running below average, there's still time to catch up to the seasonal averages. This does highlight the importance of the last Atmospheric River event where Mono County receive so much snow.

Image 1 shows Snow Water Equivalent values in inches at area SNOTEL sites. Image 2 shows the percent of average through today's date for the same locations.