Mean annual precipitation ranges from over
55 inches (1440 mm) for watersheds on the west side of the basin to
about 26 inches (660 mm) near the lake on the east side of the basin.
Most of the precipitation falls as snow between November and April, although
rainstorms combined with rapid snowmelt account for the largest floods. There
is a pronounced annual runoff of snowmelt in late spring and early summer, the
timing of which varies from year to year. In some years, summertime monsoon
storms from the Great Basin bring intense rainfall, especially to high
elevations on the
