Sierra Snowpack At 115 Percent Of Normal After January Storms

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The storms that soaked California during the first half of the month have given a big boost to the state's water supply.

Over the three weeks from Jan. 1 until Wednesday, 47 key reservoirs added 580 billion gallons of water, according to an analysis done by the San Jose Mercury News. That's as much water as about 9 million people use in a year.

The combined storage has expanded to 17.74 million acre-feet – enough to fill Folsom lake 18 times.

The statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack is now at 115 percent of normal, up from just 69 percent it was on Jan. 1 – and four times the size it was this time last year.

The snowpack provides about a third of California's water.

National Weather Service forecasts show that an extended period of dry condition is expected through the end of January.

Temperatures are expected to be 10-15 degrees above normal come the weekend.