State water officials say the snowpack near Lake Tahoe is 97% of the historical average for this time of year.
Sean de Guzman, chief of the California Department of Water Resources’ Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Section, conducted the first manual snow survey of the season Thursday at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada, south of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County.
It’s one of 260 stations that measures snowpack statewide.
De Guzman said the snowpack across the Sierra Nevada is 90% of average for this time of year.
Scientists record snowpack as Snow Water Content, which measures how much water is contained within the snow.