February storms provide much-needed boost but snowpack remains below average

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) on Friday conducted the third snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 28 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 11 inches, which is 47 percent of average for this location. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR's water supply forecast. Statewide, the snowpack is 66 percent of average for this date. Friday's snow survey results show an increase from last month's measurements following a series of cold, major snow-producing storms that ended a five-week dry period. Unfortunately, the recent storms were not enough to get the state back to average conditions for this time of year. Warmer storms early this week also caused snowmelt at lower elevations. "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 snowpack is in better shape than it was one month ago, but we only have a month left of our snow-accumulation season and time is rapidly running out to catch up. Statewide, we are only about 57 percent of where we hope to be by April 1." Storms this season have also been unevenly distributed across the Sierra Nevada. While the Southern Sierra Nevada is 90 percent average for Friday, the Northern Sierra Nevada, where several of the largest major water supply reservoirs are located, is only 46 percent normal for this date. "Water supply in California increasingly depends on a small number of big storms," said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. "We face higher drought risk when they don't arrive and greater urgency to modernize infrastructure to capture water when they do. The dramatic wet-dry swings this winter remind us again that ever-warmer average temperatures have reshaped the California water cycle. We must adapt." On average, the largest snow-producing months in the Sierra Nevada are December, January, February, and March. Historically, the snowpack peaks on or near April 1, after which the snowpack transitions to generating run-off into California's rivers and reservoirs. While the snowpack remains below average, major reservoirs statewide are currently 122 percent of average. State water managers, including the State Water Project, continue to focus on efforts to capture and store as much water as possible. The monthly snow surveys play a critical role in how the State Water Project allocates water each year. On average, the Sierra snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California's water needs. Its natural ability to store water is why the Sierra snowpack is often referred to as California's "frozen reservoir." Data from these snow surveys and forecasts produced by DWR's Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit are key factors in determining how DWR manages the state's water resources. DWR conducts four media-oriented snow surveys at Phillips Station each winter near the first of each month, January through April and, if necessary, May. The next survey is tentatively scheduled for April 1.