More precipitation needed to combat 4-year drought

Though Carson City has seen good snowpack and decent precipitation for 2015, it may not be enough to combat the four-year drought Nevada is in.

So far for the water year to date, starting Oct. 1, there’s been an above average snowpack for Carson City, with the city at a 137 percent above average. However, Carson City still is only at 50 percent for the annual snow maximum for the season, though there still are several months to possibly reach the necessary accumulation numbers.

“It is going to take a lot (of water) to make any hydrological changes (for the drought),” said Tim Bradsley, Senior Service Hydrologist at the Reno National Weather Service. “We are ahead of average to date, but we have a long way to go for the rest of the season.”

However, it may be possible, as Northern Nevada is on target to see an average or above average snow pack for the rest of 2016’s winter, Bradsley said.

Carson City had, from January to November 2015, more precipitation than the previous two years with 7.36 inches, according to the Reno NWS. Bradsley said the precipitation is 110 percent above average to date for the city.

Despite the increased precipitation the stream and drain flow for the Carson River still stands at below average because of the drought.

Carson City also broke several temperature records last weather.

The city had five record high temperatures for Feb. 5 at 69 degrees, Febr. 13 at 70 degrees, Feb. 14 at 72 degrees, Feb. 18 at 71 degrees and March 27 at 76 degrees. Carson City didn’t set any record lows for 2015, though the coldest temperature was Jan. 1, 2015, at 2 degrees.

So far in 2016, Carson City has experienced unusually cold temperatures, however according to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, during the next three months, the United States as a whole is expected to have above normal temperatures.