Reservoirs from California have benefited from rains in the last months, reported from 76 percent to 93 percent of capacity. All are at 85 percent or better of their historical averages for this time of year.

As of last report, about 34 percent of the state is thought to be at moderate or severe drought, with just under 3 percent under extreme drought. Nearly 29 percent is shown as abnormally dry.

Snow levels remain troubling vs. their average for this date: 21 percent of normal for the Northern and Southern Sierra, with the Central Sierra region slightly better at 29 percent of normal.

The Sierra Nevada region provides some 60 percent of California’s water, and a recent UCLA study on climate change is suggesting that the Sierra snowpack could fall by 64 percent by the end of the century—if greenhouse gas emissions continue on their current trajectory.

California drought monitor

Source: NOAA
Posted by: Information Services
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