With its winter-wet, summer-dry climate, the cities and streams of California and Nevada depend on winter snowpack for their water. Snowpack normally persists well into summer on higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, but the unusually wet 2010-2011 winter caused a delay in spring. By June 9, 2011, snowmelt had progressed up the low-elevation canyons, and the degree of departure decreased in bands down the western face. Note the low elevation foothill forests east of Sacramento also deviate from long-term normal.
Track the 2011 spring snowmelt here:
http://forwarn.forestthreats.org/fcav/?theme=MODIS_Forest_Change_Product...
Disturbance Type:
Other
