[Leftcoast]

Reservoirs pretty full, deepest snow pack ever recorded by the end of the week. Going to be an interesting spring. . . .

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/03/27/l...ent=manual

I was thinking the same thing.  Many of those lower, flood control reservoirs should be dumping water as quick as they possibly can.  I see Friant/Millerton which I know well (family owned a marina there) is at 118%.  They will need a lot more snow run-off capacity than that allows soon.  When the lake overtops Friant dam there's flooding all along the San Joaquin river course.   I last saw that happen in 1997 when water release through the spillway was overwhelmed and water overtopped across the dam.

Usually lake water level is at it's lowest in late April/early May as the water control managers received info on the snowpack and could estimate the capacity needed.  I'm surprised to see the lake at 18% above normal capacity in late March of a year with record snowpack.  I hope they are dumping water.

I don't expect this to be as bad as 1997 which was an epic season that saw a heavy snowfall followed by a large southern "pineapple express" that both dumped a lot of water and quickly melted the snowpack leading to brobdingnagian and unexpected river flows. Yosemite was heavily hit leading to pictures I'm sure many of us remember. The water management folks should have much more time to prepare for this.

[Leftcoast]

Reservoirs pretty full, deepest snow pack ever recorded by the end of the week. Going to be an interesting spring. . . .

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/03/27/l...ent=manual

I was thinking the same thing.  Many of those lower, flood control reservoirs should be dumping water as quick as they possibly can.  I see Friant/Millerton which I know well (family owned a marina there) is at 118%.  They will need a lot more snow run-off capacity than that allows soon.  When the lake overtops Friant dam there's flooding all along the San Joaquin river course.   I last saw that happen in 1997 when water release through the spillway was overwhelmed and water overtopped across the dam.

Usually lake water level is at it's lowest in late April/early May as the water control managers received info on the snowpack and could estimate the capacity needed.  I'm surprised to see the lake at 18% above normal capacity in late March of a year with record snowpack.  I hope they are dumping water.

I don't expect this to be as bad as 1997 which was an epic season that saw a heavy snowfall followed by a large southern "pineapple express" that both dumped a lot of water and quickly melted the snowpack leading to brobdingnagian and unexpected river flows. Yosemite was heavily hit leading to pictures I'm sure many of us remember. The water management folks should have much more time to prepare for this.