Despite a strong start to the rainy season, that still hasn’t translated to a healthy snowpack so far. The first measurements of the season shows that, statewide, it’s only 53% of normal, although it’s 68% of average in the Northern Sierra. Doug Carlson, a public information officer with the Department of Water Resources, says although rainfall is at 150% of average, most of those systems have been too warm…

click to listen to Doug Carlson

Carlson says the snowpack has historically supplied about 30% of the state’s water needs…

click to listen to Doug Carlson

But Carlson says January and February are two of California’s wettest months, and if systems stay colder there is plenty of time for the snowpack to recover. Meanwhile, Lake Shasta, California’s largest surface reservoir, now holds 118% of its historical average for this time of year. A year ago, it was only 50%. And Lake Oroville, the State Water Project’s largest reservoir, also holds much more water than a year ago, or 91% of average, compared to just 47% a year ago. The most critical measurement is April 1st, when the snowpack typically holds the greatest water content.