Rain-On-Snow on Donner Summit, California
Title | Rain-On-Snow on Donner Summit, California |
Publication Type | Conference Proceedings |
Year of Conference | 2019 |
Authors | Osterhuber, Randall |
Conference Name | 87th Annual Western Snow Conference |
Conference Location | Reno, NV |
Keywords | flood, rain-on-snow, rainfall, snowpack outflow |
Abstract | Rain-on-snow events occur regularly during winter in the Donner Pass area of California, and their frequency is increasing. These storms have the potential to dramatically alter the stratigraphy of the snowpack, initiate rapid streamflow response, and cause local and downstream flooding. This paper reviews rain-on-snow events on Donner Summit, California at 2098 m elevation. Examined are case studies, rain-on-snow event size, duration, frequency, timing, anecdotal field observations, and supporting hydrometeorological data and snowpack response. Since the mid-1970s, personnel at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory have collected detailed information on precipitation type, highlighting the frequency and increasing trend of liquid precipitation during the (historic) snow season. |
URL | /files/PDFs/2019Osterhuber.pdf |