California Faces Severe Early Season 'Snow Drought'

Statewide snowpack is at record-low levels, but significant snowfall is forecasted for the Sierras in the coming week.

California is experiencing a severe, early season 'snow drought' despite recent storms, with snowpack at or below all-time record-low numbers for the beginning of January.
Snowpack conditions are crucial as Californians have depended on spring and summer snowmelt to provide nearly a third of the state's water supply.
Statewide snowpack is 25 percent of average, but significant snow is forecasted for the Sierras in the next seven days.
Low precipitation and warm temperatures are causing snow drought conditions throughout the West, not just in the Sierra Nevada.
Despite the snow drought, California's major reservoirs stand at 116% of average levels for the date, thanks to recent storms.