Snowpack
Snow season overSierra Nevada snowpack
Basin snow water equivalent vs the 1991-2020 median, 32 SNOTEL stations
Data through Sep 2, 2026 · source last checked Sep 10, 2026 · page revised Sep 3, 2026
Cite
- This snow year
- 1991-2020 median
About this data
- Source
- USDA NRCS SNOTEL (Air-Water Database)
- Series
- Snow water equivalent (WTEQ), basin-index percent of the 1991-2020 median
- Geography
- Sierra Nevada
- Unit
- in
- Calculation
- Daily reading, aggregated across reporting SNOTEL stations
- Last observation
- Jun 22, 2026
- Update frequency
- Daily in season (Oct-Jun); melts out by mid-summer
Snow year complete. Sierra Nevada's snowpack peaked at 15.3 in of snow water equivalent around Feb 19, 2026, 68% of the normal peak. The 2027 snow year begins October 1.
Sierra Nevada snowpack peaked at 15.3 in of snow water equivalent on Feb 19, 68% of the 1991-2020 median peak of 22.3 in. Water-year precipitation totaled 37.1 in through Sept 2, 103% of the median, indicating most precipitation fell outside the peak accumulation window. The 2026 water year is complete.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| This season's peak (SWE) | 15.3 in on Feb 19, 2026 |
| Normal peak (1991-2020 median) | 22.3 in |
| Peak vs normal peak | 68% |
| Percent of median at last snow reading | 0% (Jun 22, 2026) |
| Water-year precipitation to date | 37.1 in (103% of median) |
Previous weeks
Week of Aug 26, 2026
The snow year is complete. Sierra Nevada's snowpack peaked at 15.3 in on Feb 19, 2026, 68% of the normal peak of 22.3 in. Water-year precipitation to date reached 36.8 in, 103% of the 1991-2020 median, with the gap mainly reflecting the timing of snow versus rain.
Week of Aug 19, 2026
Sierra Nevada snowpack peaked at 15.3 in of snow water equivalent on Feb 19, 68% of the normal peak. Water-year precipitation totaled 36.8 in, 103% of the 1991-2020 median.
An earlier week
The 2025-26 Sierra Nevada snowpack peaked at 15.3 in, 68% of the 1991-2020 median of 22.3 in. Water-year precipitation was 36.7 in, 103% of median. The pack has melted to zero.
Week of Aug 13, 2026
Sierra Nevada snowpack peaked at 15.3 in of snow water equivalent on Feb 19, 68% of the normal peak of 22.3 in. Water-year precipitation totaled 36.6 in, 103% of the 1991-2020 median. The pack melted out by late June. The 2027 snow year begins October 1.
About Sierra Nevada snowpack
Snow water equivalent (SWE) is the depth of water held in the snowpack, and it is the single number that best predicts the coming spring and summer runoff. Depth alone can mislead: a deep, dry snowpack can hold less water than a shallow, dense one.
The Waterline reads Sierra Nevada's snowpack from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service SNOTEL network using the standard basin-index method. It sums the current water content across the 32 SNOTEL stations inside the Sierra Nevada (hydrologic units 1605, 1802, 1803, 1804), divides by the sum of those same stations' 1991-2020 medians for the date, and reports the ratio as percent of median, so a deep high-elevation site counts for more than a shallow valley one and a station with no long-term normal never distorts the number. The inch figures shown here are the average snow water equivalent across those reporting stations.
Snow builds from about October, normally peaks near April 1, and melts out by early summer. Once the normal snowpack for the date nears zero, percent of median stops being a meaningful number, so this page reports the season's peak instead of a percentage until the snow returns.