January water outlook tells a different story

Snow Survey shows Carson River basin 109% of normal in latest reading

Lahontan Reservoir’s storage for mid-January is at more than 133,000 acre-feet of water.

Lahontan Reservoir’s storage for mid-January is at more than 133,000 acre-feet of water.

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To the visual eye, the water outlook for the Carson River basin may appear somewhat bleak, but the Nevada Water Supply Water Outlook for January tells a different story.

The Natural Resources Conservation Services (NCRS) Snow Survey recorded back-to-back winters with above median snow packs in 2023-2024, but the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada between mid-January and the end of March will determine if there’s a three-peat.

The snow pack in Northern Nevada ranges from 109% of median in both the Walker and Carson river basins while the average is 164% in the Northern Great Basin. The water-year-to-date precipitation for the Walker River basin is at 94%, while the Carson River basin is at 93%. The snow water equivalent has reached 109% for the Walker basin and 106% for Carson.

What may be misleading to the lower elevations is the precipitation amounts. While the valleys received a rainy autumn, the precipitation turned to snow in the higher elevations, thus leading to the higher percentages. The NRCS has 85 SNOTELS (snow telemetry) locate in Nevada.  Fifty are positioned across Nevada and 35 in the eastern Sierra, and they electronically record precipitation and water content each hour based on the weight of snow placed on a fluid-filled bladder. Each basin has about eight SNOTEL sites, most of them located at different elevations.

The NRCS reported the Lost Lakes SNOTEL was constructed in September located near the Sierra crest at 8,640 feet elevation and at the headwaters of the West Fork Carson River.


Water year to date

 

“The site is situated in a high accumulation snow zone,” said Jeff Anderson, state hydrologist and Nevada Water Supply Specialist.  “As of January 1, Lost Lakes SNOTEL is measuring 55 inches of snow depth and 17.6 inches of snow water. Compared to other SNOTELs in or near the Carson Basin, Lost Lakes’ snow water amount is higher than the other sites.”

Anderson said the information from the Lost Lakes site will be beneficial for its data in forecasting water supplies on the west and east side of the Sierra stretching to the Lahontan Valley.

“Most the data presented in this report comes from NRCS SNOTEL stations located in the mountains above 6,000 feet,” Anderson added.  “This section looks at data from valley and rangeland stations to provide a more complete summary of conditions across lower elevations.”

According to Anderson, the SNOTEL site near the Mount Rose Summit shows the Carson Basin snowpack is at 51% of normal, and has been melting faster than in previous water years.

In the January report, the storage at Lahontan Reservoir as of the Jan. 1 report is 127,400-acre feet and has increased to more than 133,000 acre-feet (AF) this week. Compared to previous water years, Lahontan had 221,313 AF at the same time in 2024 but only 60,866 (AF) two years ago.

The reservoir’s capacity is 304,000 acre-feet. One acre-foot equals about 326,000 gallons, or enough water to cover an acre of land.

The precipitation and departure from normal, according to the January report, is also down in most areas except the Ely area in eastern Nevada. The measurements were taken between October and December. Naval Air Station Fallon reported .63 of an inch from its departure of normal readings, and temperatures across Northern Nevada were slightly warmer than normal. 

The overall conditions, though, has driven the drought monitor —including most of Nevada —   to show the state from abnormally dry mostly in Northern Nevada to exceptional drought in most of Clark County and extending into southwest Lincoln County and the eastern edges of Nye.