The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1913-03-19
SNOWFALL IS VERY LIGHT
Indications Are That Present
Season Will Crowd The
Minimum.


en- in terms of inches of water, aver
aging slightly under so per cent of
what 1t was in April, 1910, on the
slopes of Mount Rose, the prospects
of satisfactory supply of water
for crops in the Truckee valley dur
ing the coming season are not very
assuring according to Professor ]. f.
Church of the University of Nevada,
who has just returned from his
monthly trip up the mountain to
measure the snow
Not only is the snowfall much be-
low the mark of 1910, which is re-
garded as a comfortable mark, and
exactly nine-tenths of the normal,
but the water in Lake Tahoe is re-
ported to be at the lowest point in
years.
Comfort is to be had from Just
two considerations: In lean year"
when the water is low in the lake,
the snowfall is generally 10 to 20
percent more than in other years;
and the snowfall this year at the
present time is more than 1t was
last year at this time. There was
an addition of about ~ inches in
March expressed in terms of inches
of water and II the same record Is
kept up in the next four or five
maakc tho ronobaro x,;ll ba oznc;d
erably better off, so far as snow goes
than they were in 1912. But they
will not be so we'll off as to draw
ing off more water from the lake
and it may be just about an even
break with last year all told.
The observations made by Prof
essor Church involve vast amount
of painstaking work and they are
made at the same place each year
and in practically the same periods
of time, so that by comparing this
years mark with last years one may
gain an idea of how the snowfall
of this year sizes up with last year
anu the year pe1ore.
There are three fields of observa-
ton, which are under different con-
ditions as to elevation, timbering
and exposure. The figures given are
the average figures from many OBJ
servations.
For the first observation ground
there is selected site having an ele-
vation between $500 and 10000
feet. Eighty-two measurements are
taken in this area at points so feet
apart. In the second observation
area, points having an elevation be-
tween 9,10O and 10000 feet. and 50
measurements were made, 100 feet
apart. For the third area, an ele-
yation of 5000 feet was had and IL
measurements were taken IL feet
apart.
The observations have been made
on this plan for the last four years.
In 1910 the ranchers will remember,
there was good supply of water
and that year is taken as the year
for comparison. The snowfall in that
year was 80 percent of the normal.
In the winter of 1911 the water sup
ply was double the ordinary amount
so that the observations are not re-
garded as typical nor useful for
comparison. Taking the three years
1910, 1912 and 1913 the compari-
son of averages is as follows:
Station l.
April, 1910-23.5.
April, 1912-13.00.
February 10, 1913-1O.54.
March 10, 1913-13.6S.
The total on March 10, 1913, is
$50 percent of the total of April,
1910. The inches are expressed in
terms of water inches.
Station q
April, 1910-1S.75.
February s, 1913-6.29.
March 8, 1913-10.19.
The total on March 8, 1913 is 54.3
percent o the total of April, 1910.
Station 3--
April, 1910-25.15.