UC Berkeley's Sierra Lab Eclipses December Snow Record

SODA SPRINGS, CA — A powerful winter storm that blanketed the Sierra Nevada mountains and shuttered a 81-mile stretch of Interstate 80 over the weekend has helped a UC Berkeley research station set a new December snowfall record.

The UC Berkeley Central Snow Lab in Soda Springs (Nevada County) on Tuesday morning reported 202 inches of snow, making it the third snowiest month in recorded history obliterating a 1970 record 179 inches for the month.

The research station, located an elevation of 6,894 feet, announced on Twitter Monday morning that it had eclipsed the 1970 mark with 38.9 inches of snow over a 24-hour period.

The station specializes in snow physics, snow hydrology, meteorology, and climatology, according to its web page.

“With a 24 hour official #snow total of 38.9" at the lab, we have smashed the previous record of 179" of snow in December set in 1970!,” the agency said.

The snow is welcome in the Golden State, which has been mired in an extreme drought, with many agencies throughout the state in crisis.