April Snow Survey Results
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| Tuolumne River at Tuolumne Meadows, April 8, 2004. |
With the record breaking warm temperatures in March, there is a lot of interest in how the snow pack survived. The April 1st courses are generally thought to be the most representative of the year's snow pack. Here are the results for the Yosemite’s Tuolumne and Merced drainages. The high densities are normally not seen until
May, and may trigger a faster run-off this spring. Remember that the depth and water content averages were well above average last month, so this does not necessarily indicate a dry year.
The following figures are the real time amount of snow left on the ground (“stored water”) as of April 1, 2004.
| Tuolumne Drainage | |||||
| Location | Elevation (feet) | Snow Depth (inches) | Water Content (inches) | Density | Average |
| Dana Meadows | 9,800 | 57.0 | 27.4 | 48% | 88% |
| Rafferty Meadows | 9,400 | 60.6 | 29.5 | 49% | 90% |
| New Grace Meadow | 8,900 | 91.9 | 44.7 | 49% | 93% |
| Tuolumne Meadows | 8,600 | 39.9 | 19.4 | 49% | 85% |
| Wilma Lake | 8,000 | 85.5 | 41.9 | 49% | 97% |
| Vernon Lake | 6,700 | 38.6 | 18.1 | 47% | 81% |
| Beehive Meadow | 6,500 | 41.4 | 19.5 | 47% | 83% |
| Basin Average Percent of April 1: | 83% | ||||
| Merced Drainage | |||||
| Location | Elevation (feet) | Snow Depth (inches) | Water Content (inches) | Density | Average |
| Snow Flat | 8,700 | 70.8 | 45.3 | 64% | 102% |
| Ostrander Lake | 8,200 | 55.7 | 25.2 | 45% | 77% |
| Tenaya Lake | 8,150 | 60.0 | 26.5 | 44% | 79% |
| Gin Flat | 7,000 | 59.0 | 28.0 | 47% | 88% |
| Peregoy Meadows | 7,000 | 55.1 | 22.1 | 40% | 75% |
| Basin Average Percent of April 1: | 84% | ||||
State Average Percent of April 1: 82%
Also
in this newsletter:
- Snow Survey Results