Snowpack levels drop in 2022, melting hopes for calm Siskiyou County wildfire season

Western Siskiyou County's 2022 fire season could be worse than average.

The Klamath National Forest's snow survey of the Scott River sub-basin, completed on Tuesday found snowpack is two-thirds of the historic average. The water content of the snow is 58% of the historic average.

That means the forest could be drier than average and brush more easily ignited in summer.

Low levels were found at all survey points in Klamath — much lower than expected, Forest Service spokeswoman Kimberly DeVall said.

Storms around the holidays last December and in early January gave Forest Service officials hope enough snow would accumulate to reach historic averages. Since then, levels languished as the wet weather dried up and mid-day temperatures were unseasonably warm, DeVall said.

The outlook is worse than last year's.

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While still low, 2021 snow levels were better, according to the Forest Service: 19% lower than the historic average. Water content was 33% lower. 

Dry conditions exacerbated fires and speeded their spread in the Klamath National Forest in 2021. Among them was the River Complex, which destroyed 199,343 acres of forest land.

There's still hope 2022 snow levels will recover if more rain comes to the area in February and March, DeVall said. Snowpack usually reaches its maximum for the year by late-March or early-April.

Monthly snow surveys — conducted in winter and spring in the Klamath National Forest — are part of the California Cooperative Snow Survey program. The program helps the state forecast the quantity of water available for agriculture, power generation, recreation and stream flow releases later in the year.

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Hydrologists measure snow depth by driving a tube with a sharp cutting end through snowpack. The sample is then weighed to determine its water content.

Forest Service employees take measurements at the same sites in the Scott River watershed during surveys. "The newest measuring site at Scott Mountain has been monitored for over 35 years," DeVall said. The oldest site at Middle Boulder has been monitored for more than 70 years.

Results are sent to the California Department of Water Resources for statewide analysis. 

For more on snow levels and water in California, go to cdec.water.ca.gov/snow/current/snow.

Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and entertainment stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.