California snowpack gets a boost from series of December downpours

A series of storms in December provided a welcome boost to California’s snowpack, scientists said Tuesday in a closely watched assessment of the state’s water resources for the coming year.

The snowpack survey recorded a snow depth of 24 inches (61 cm), said Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, state hydrometeorologist with the California Department of Water Resources’ Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. The survey was conducted at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range that covers the eastern part of the state.

The department also collects measurements with electronic instruments at other sites and said that statewide, the snowpack currently stands at 71 percent of average.

Related: Southern California cleans up after wettest recent Christmas season

This measurement is the first of the season and provides important insight into the health of California’s water supply. The snowpack acts as a critical savings bank for the coming year — essentially a frozen reservoir that provides about a third of the water used each year in California, as it melts each spring and flows into rivers and streams and replenishes groundwater.

A period of hot, dry weather was recently interrupted by a series of strong storms – fueled by a powerful atmospheric river – that brought record levels of rain to places like Los Angeles and large amounts of snow to mountainous areas.

Officials said Monday’s measures offered a sign of hope, but cautioned that it was too early to know how it might affect water supplies in the coming year.

“Dry conditions and warmer temperatures in early December delayed our snowmaking season, but the return of storms, especially last week, helped build a solid foundation for this year’s snowpack,” Fabbiani-Leon said. “While California is in a better position now, the season is still early and our state’s water supply for this year will ultimately depend on a continued cadence of storms throughout the winter and early spring.”

Snowpack moisture content at Phillips Station is 50 percent of average for this time of year and 21 percent of average for April 1, when the Sierra snowpack is typically at its peak, Fabbiani-Leon said.

Those levels are about half of what the state experienced at the same time last year, said David Rizzardo, director of the department’s hydrology section.

“The trend we’re seeing right now is that there’s more rain than snow,” Rizzardo told reporters. “We would like to see the snowpack accelerate between now and April 1 to get closer to average.”

The state built a complex system of canals and dams to capture and store water in reservoirs for the hot, dry months, when it doesn’t rain or snow. Those reservoirs measure 123 percent of the average for this time of year, Rizzardo said.

The measures are closely watched in California, which is home to 39 million people and grows much of the nation’s fresh fruits and vegetables. The health of the snowpack helps determine whether California will face difficulties providing water to farms and cities during the hot summer months.

The state has struggled in recent years with fluctuations between wet and dry extremes. About a year ago, officials recorded a snowpack water content at Phillips Station of 91 percent of average. In 2025, the state’s snowpack was near average just before the April 1 peak and the state’s reservoirs were above historic capacity after two wet winters, following a multi-year drought that forced severe reductions in water use.