Sierra snowpack is disappointing

After a promising start of the winter season, the monthly snow survey near Echo Summit Tuesday reflected a disappointingly dry February.

Although the water content of the snow at Phillips Station is 105 percent of normal for early March, most of the other reporting stations show below-average snowpack.

The statewide average is only 83 percent of normal for March 1.

“Mother Nature is not living up to predictions by some that a ‘Godzilla’ El Niño would produce much more precipitation than usual this winter,” said the Department of Water Resources director Mark Cowin in a news release. “We need conservation as much as ever.”

“Right now, we’re obviously better than last year but still way below what would be considered adequate for any reasonable level of recovery at this point,” said Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program.

Gehrke said he was encouraged by storms building in the Pacific that could bring heavy moisture beginning this weekend.