After a mostly dry December, it’s no surprise to find the Sierra snowpack well-below normal. It’s just 21% of average in the Northern range, after the first survey of the season was taken. A year ago it was 68%. But the Chief of Surveys, with the Department of Water Resources, Frank Gehrke, reminds us that winter is officially just 2 weeks old and we’re only a third of the way through the state’s 3 stormiest months…

click to listen to Frank Gehrke

California traditionally receives about half of its annual precipitation during December, January, and February, with the bulk coming from atmospheric rivers. Officials say so far a high-pressure zone spanning the Western United States has persistently blocked those systems from reaching the state. Meanwhile, Gehrke says progress has been made in predicting them beyond the usual 7 to 10 days…

click to listen to Frank Gehrke

Gehrke says better long range forecasting would allow more water to be held for storage, with better knowledge of how much to release for flood control. Meanwhile, the overall storage in the state’s reservoirs is still about 110% of average, thanks to one of the heaviest winters on record last year.