California's snowpack increases after recent storms, but officials say it's not enough
After several snow-producing storms slammed Northern California, water officials reported an increase in the state's snowpack and stressed that it's not enough.
The California Department of Water Resources conducted its third snow survey in El Dorado County on Friday, discovering the site is at 47% of average for the Phillips Station location. Officials said the statewide snowpack is at 66% of average for this date.
Friday's recording saw an increase from January's results, thanks to a series of storms that ended a five-week dry period.
"Although the storms we saw in mid-February were some of the coldest and best snow-producing storms we have seen since 2023, they were not enough to get us back to average conditions," said Andy Reising, manager of DWR's snow survey's and water supply forecasting unit.
The DWR said storms have been unevenly distributed across the Sierra Nevada, as the southern Sierra is at 90% of average for the date, but the northern Sierra is only at 46%.
"The dramatic wet-dry swings this winter remind us again that ever-warmer average temperatures have reshaped the California water cycle," DWR Director Karla Nemeth said. "We must adapt."
Despite the low snowpack, officials said reservoirs remain above average.
The next snow survey is scheduled for April 1, which is when the state's snowpack is usually at its peak.