Winter started well last year. We had snow pack reports showing over 100% of normal and the western hills began turning green with the rains coming frequently enough to germinate the seasonal plants.  Then just before the first of the year the storms stopped. On January 2nd the California snowpack was at 97% of normal. However, locally we had only .4 of an inch in January and nothing so far in February. It looks like the forecast is predicting less than a 1/4 inch for this Saturday, but nothing else in the near future. 

We don’t like to bandy the word drought around, but it is not looking favorable for more storage in the Sierra Nevada range, unless of course we get a “Miracle March”.  Photographs from 2019 and 2020 taken at the same locations in the Sierras show patches of snow and plenty of bare ground where last year drifts of snow lay 6 foot deep or more. 

California gets about 75% of it annual precipitation between December and March so the lack of rain and snow is stressful.  Currently most of reservoirs are filled, so it is not yet a dire situation, however the state gets 30% of its water needs from the annual snowfall as it melts and provides runoff to the rivers, streams, and reservoirs. We will be keeping our fingers crossed. The good news is additional water storage space appears to be coming soon, so that we can meet the needs of agriculture, metropolitan communities, recreation, and wildlife (not necessarily in that order.