Satellite Images: Snow Returns to the Sierra After Slow Start

The snow season got off to a slow start, with the first storms not settling in until nearly Thanksgiving. Since then, accumulations have caught up and then some. In the first week of December, the Sierra snowpack, measured by water content of the snow, was above the long-term average, with the southern Sierra at 139 percent of normal. It’s early in the season, though, and the outlook could change dramatically. Most of California’s snow falls from December to February. Move the sliders in the images to view the terrain before and after the snows.