Re: February 1 Snow Survey Results

Park Staff have completed the February 1 snow surveys. The water content of the snowpack in the Tuolumne drainage is 132% of average; in the Merced drainage it is 105% of average. There is approximately 5 times as much water on the park's snow courses as there was last year at this time.

Details at: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snow/COURSES.02

Does anyone know what would account for such a wide disparity between two basins that are so geographically close to one another? Doesn't really make sense to me.

The Tuolumne basin is north of the Merced and until recently the north was getting more snow than the south. Also, Yosemite was the southernmost extent of many of the major storms this season--until the most recent one.