Ebbetts Pass reopening a sure sign spring is here

One way to determine what sort of winter the central Sierra Nevada experienced is the date when Ebbetts Pass opens for the season.

This year that occurred noon Thursday, according to the California Department of Transportation.

The pass closed on Dec. 16, according to CalTrans. While the earliest the pass has reopened since 2020, it’s just a day after the 2024 opening. Most years Ebbetts is open by mid-May, though the record winter of 2023 had it closed until June 8.

This season while clearing Ebbetts Pass, Woodfords and Camp Connell Maintenance crews maintenance crews encountered snow levels of 8-12 feet deep in locations along with down trees, debris, and some extremely narrow one-lane corridors, according to CalTrans.

Crews averaged about a mile per day with their snow removal operations and were ultimately able to clear approximately 26 miles of roadway this season.

The Sierra snowpack will continue to melt as high temperatures climb into the mid-80s on Saturday before plunging 25 degrees by Tuesday.

The Nevada Water Supply Outlook Report issued on Thursday celebrated three consecutive winters with near or above average snowpacks in the eastern Sierra.

“In Nevada, where multi-year drought is much more common than a string of strong winters, the last three years have been a welcome change,” according to the report. “That said, overall conditions this year haven’t been as strong as either of the last two years.”

Water year precipitation from Oct. 1 through May 1 stands at 93-100 percent of median in the Eastern Sierra basins, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The report indicates that the April melt has been quicker than average though the Central Sierra benefited from a late April storm that left snow in Carson Valley.

As of May 1, Lake Tahoe had 624,100 acre feet, or twice the median and 84 percent of capacity. Topaz Lake had 33,100 acre feet or 136 percent of median and 56 percent of capacity.

The West Fork of the Carson River at Woodfords is expected to hit the action stage of 12.5 feet early Sunday morning. The East Fork is expected to crest at 11.6 feet, well short of the action stage of 13 feet 6 a.m. on Mother’s Day.