Nevada snowpack remains dismal amid unusual warm winter

RENO — The snowpack at the end of February was dismal in Nevada amid one of the warmest winters on record.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reports the Tahoe Basin snowpack was 23 percent of normal on Friday. Meanwhile, the Truckee Basin was 36 percent, Carson was 25 percent and Walker was 37 percent.

In Reno, the average temperature from Dec. 1 through Feb. 22 was 39.5 degrees, making it the second-warmest for that timeframe since 1937.

The outlook for the next three to four weeks shows a higher chance of above-normal precipitation and below-normal temperatures.

A report by the advocacy group Protect Our Winters released Friday said that skimpy snowpack was dragging down the winter economy in the West.

Snowpacks also feed rivers and streams.

Four chances of snow are in the forecast for this week, which could help the snowpack.