Rising Spring Temperatures Trigger Sierra Snowmelt Flood Fears; 'We Know The Heat's Coming'

CBS Los Angeles

April 25, 2023

TRUCKEE -- The forecast for temperatures in the 60s and possible rainshowers next week around the Tahoe Basin could be heralding the beginning of the feared snow melt after an epic winter in the Sierra.

Dr. Andrew Schwartz, the lead scientist at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, is among those who are concerned what the coming months holds once the 700-plus inches or nearly 60 feet of snow that has fallen since October in the mountains begins to melt off.

"Flooding is a concern with these deep snowpacks," he told KPIX. "Primarily through things like warm atmospheric rivers where we get rain falling on top of them that can cause rapid flooding and catastrophic consequences downstream...prolonged warm periods are also a concern."

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