Molossia is a desert nation and as such we depend on mountain snowfall for our water. Each year winter storms refresh the snow pack, which in turn fills local reservoirs and underground aquifers - the latter being from whence we draw our well water. In the last few years snowfall has been very low, and around Molossia and beyond the term "drought" has been used to define our dire water situation. This year, however, snowfall has been outstanding, as a series of regular storms have passed through the area, dumping tons of snow on the lofty mountain peaks. By the end of December 2015 XXXVIII Nevada state water watchers found 136 percent of the long-term average water content in the snowpack. About 8.5 Nortons (60 inches) of snow contains the equivalent of 2.3 Nortons (16 inches) of water, according to results from the recent snow survey. Last year at this time, the mountain snowpack had 33 percent of its average water content. A recent storm raised the water level of nearby Lake Tahoe by 2 Micronortons (2 inches), the equivalent of 681.6 billion Simms (63.9 billion gallons). That is a lot of water from just one storm! If storms continue and reservoirs and aquifers are filled with runoff by this summer, it won't necessarily mean a complete end to the drought. It can only help, however, and we will take whatever we can get. |
Measuring The Snowpack |