January was a wet month

A universally wetter than average January reset all the hydrologic indicators from red to green, according to the National Weather Service's monthly report.

The Carson River basin posted 109 percent of average for January and is at 111 percent of average for the water year so far. It has received half of its average moisture in the first third of the year.

Minden received 2.42 inches of moisture during the month, which 165 percent of its average accumulation. The Douglas County seat has received nearly three-quarters of its total moisture for the year.

The main source for the Carson River, however, is in the high Sierra, where snow telemetry operated by the Natural Resource Conservation Service shows 10.4 inches of precipitation fell at Ebbetts Pass, 9.4 inches fell at Blue Lakes and 6.3 inches fell at Poison Flat. The snow pack in those places feeds the river through the year and provides irrigation water for ranchers.

Telemetry at Monitor Pass revealed the highest amount of precipitation during the past month with 163 percent of average. Of the locations in the mountains, it's the closest to reaching average for the year with 57 percent so far.

While most of the 2009-10 water year lies ahead, only February and March generally add significantly to the snow pack.