Spring Snow Levels May Pose Flooding Risk As Weather Heats Up
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A rapid buildup of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains could pose a flooding threat to the state capitol.
KNX 1070's Ron Kilgore reports after years of drought in California, officials now warn that any sudden heat-up may spell trouble.
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The snow pack is an estimated 190 percent above normal, and only a slightly cooler spring season has held off any potential flooding threat to Sacramento and parts of the San Joaquin Valley.
Hydrology chief Jon Ericson with the state Department of Water Resources said at this point, most of the snow pack is still safely in place.
"We've had colder temperatures throughout the spring, and that snow really hasn't gone anywhere," said Ericson. "The low elevation snow has basically run off, but that deep snowpack is still present in the southern Sierras."
Ericson says reservoir operators are trying to keep levels as low as possible as a precaution against any extra runoff.
