The results of the DWR April 1 last snow survey of the season will be coming out this week. That will break it down for southern Sierra vs Northern Sierra and give more insight into early season access. There are several good Tahoe forecasts and detailed avalanche info for us up north, but they don't necessarily apply to the Southern Sierra, especially the far south like Whitney. General trends usually apply across California, but storm patterns and snow accumulation can be very different. Some years it can range from well above average in north or south to well below average in the other. For 2013, it's below average everywhere, just a matter of how much lower than average. As for the spring snow melt rate, that's a secondary effect compared to the amount of snow that needs to melt, and it's a crap shoot trying to predict if temps will be a little higher or lower than "normal" for April and May.
