The Pineapple Express brought lots of rain to California , and Lake Mead’s water levels are at an all-time high, but the Sierra snowpack is still below average, which could have serious consequences, officials say.
A below-normal snowpack this year may not impact water availability now, but it will affect future water supply, especially if the state sees successive dry years, David Rizzardo, hydrology section manager of the California Department of Water Resources, DWR, Division of Flood Management, told USA TODAY in an email.
Two atmospheric rivers , also known as a Pineapple Express, slammed into California at the beginning of the month. During the storm, the state saw lots of rain, snow, wind and flooding.
Because of the rainfall, Lake Mead , a reservoir in Nevada and Arizona formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, has reached the highest level it has been since May 2021 after a historic water shortage.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for California’s snowpack.