The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada reached 158 percent of normal on Wednesday as waves of winter storms drenched the state of California.
Every region of the state showed a higher than normal snowpack in the reports from automated measuring stations. As recently as Jan. 3, the statewide level was well below normal.
The snowpack still needs to grow, of course. Wednesday’s level was only 69 percent of the April 1 target. But there are still two and a half months of rainy season to go.
“The recent storms that have moved through have provided a long-awaited improvement to our water supply outlook,” said Elizabeth Scott of the state Department of Water Resources.
“However, it’s important to remember that we’re still relatively early in the season,” she added. “We need good, cold storms to keep heading our way.”
The snowpack provides nearly a third of California’s water supply as runoff from the melting snow in the spring fills the state’s reservoirs.
