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California Snowpack Slides to 59% After Warm, Dry January, Latest Survey Shows

High reservoir levels cushion near-term supplies despite the midwinter setback.

FILE: Nearby mountain peaks are covered with snow near the Phillips Station meadow shortly before the California Department of Water Resources conducted the third media snow survey of the 2022 season at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 
FILE: Skiers slalom through patches of dry ground at Palisades Tahoe on March 21, 2015, in Olympic Valley, Calif.
OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 15: In an aerial view, the Enterprise Bridge passes over a completely full Lake Oroville on June 15, 2023 in Oroville, California. After several winter storms that brought record snowfall to California's Sierra Nevada mountains, Lake Oroville, California's second largest reservoir, is at 100 percent capacity. The lake has only reached full pool twice in the past 15 years with the most recent time in 2019. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Overview

  • DWR’s Jan. 30 survey measured statewide snow water equivalent at 9.7 inches, or 59% of average for the date.
  • Electronic readings show a sharp north–south split in the Sierra: Northern 43%, Central 60%, Southern 78% of average.
  • Forecasts indicate no major storms in the next two weeks as a warm high-pressure ridge persists, making catch-up increasingly difficult.
  • The manual check at Phillips Station recorded 23 inches of snow depth with 8 inches of water content, 46% of the local average.
  • Major reservoirs stand near 126% of average after recent wet years, and DWR plans the next full survey for March 2.