Winter Snow Depth
"Sierra Nevada" is Spanish for "Snowy Range" and the Sierra Nevada lives up to it's name, recording some of the heaviest snow falls in the world. Some interesting records include:
- 1 day snowfall: 67 inches (5.6 ft.) at Echo Summit, Jan 4, 1982 (2nd in US)
- Single storm snowfall: 186.6 inches (15.6 ft.) at Donner Summit, 1982 (2nd in US)
- 1 month snowfall: 390 inches (32.5 ft.) at Tamarack, Jan. 1991 (US record)
- Total winter snowfall: 884 inches (73.7 ft.) Tamarack, 1906-07
- Greatest snow depth: 451 inches (37.6 ft.) at Tamarack, Mar. 11, 1911 (US record)
- Highest average March snow depth: 108 inches (9 ft.) at Echo Summit
As you would expect, snowfall in the Sierra increases with elevation. The lower foothills only rarely receive any measurable snow. Middle elevations receive a mix of snow and rain during the winter. Above about 6000 ft., the majority of precipitation falls as snow. It is not unusual, in some locations, to have ten feet of snow on the ground for extended periods.
However, snow accumulation does not directly follow precipitation in the Sierra. While the greatest total precipitation occurs in the northern part of the range, the greatest snow accumulation occurs in the central and high southern parts of the range, due to higher elevations and colder temperatures which inhibit snow melt. As expected, snow depths drop dramatically on the east side of the range due to the rain shadow effect (view comparative east side/west side snow depth chart).
The map below shows the average maximum measured snow depth in the Sierra Nevada for the month of March (the month the the greatest average snow depths).
- Average annual precipitation in the Sierra Nevada (map)
- Climates of the Sierra Nevada (map)
- Natural vegetation of the Sierra Nevada (map)
- East side - west side snow depth comparison (chart)
Source: Raw U.S. Climatological Data for California, 1966-1996.