Normals on the eastern slope of the Central Sierra Nevada

The process of computing snow survey course normals is described as a percentage of Weather Bureau records. The process of developing more stable normals is related to procedures of improving the percentage system of forecasting water supply from snowmelt. Normals divided into elevation zones were found to be more satisfactory, although some discrepancies due to soil absorption, spring and fall precipitation together with temperature during the accumulation season had to be accounted for effecting errors in forecasting. Professor George D. Clyde discussed the procedures used in Utah, and Spencer Munson discussed the normals used in a California system of forecasting. Dr. J.E. Church discussed snowmelt characteristics pointing out that maximum densities of the snowpack occur just prior to beginning of melt at 49.4% and then reduce to about 37% during the remainder of the melt season.