California needs more snow accumulation to bolster 2026 water supplies, officials say

"PHILLIPS STATION California is seeing ample rain and water stored in the state's reservoirs but only about half the snow levels of a year ago, officials said Tuesday, adding it's too soon to know how that could impact water supplies in the coming year. Officials at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range that covers the eastern part of the state, recorded a snow depth of 24 inches (61 centimeters), said Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, state hydrometeorologist at the Department of Water Resources' snow surveys and water supply forecasting unit."

"The water content of snowpack at the station is at 50% of the average for this time of year and 21% of the average for April 1, when the Sierra snowpack is typically at its peak, she said. Those levels are about half of what the state saw at this time last year, said David Rizzardo, the department's hydrology section manager. The trend we're looking at right now is more rain than snow, Rizzardo told reporters."

"The department also collects measurements with electronic instruments at other sites, and said that statewide the snowpack is 71% of average. The snowpack serves as a huge frozen reservoir, providing about a third of the water used annually in California as it melts each spring and flows into rivers and streams. The state has built a complex system of canals and dams to capture and store the water in reservoirs for the hot, dry months when it doesn't rain or snow."

Phillips Station recorded a snow depth of 24 inches (61 centimeters). Snow water content at the station equals 50% of the average for this time of year and 21% of the April 1 average, when the Sierra snowpack typically peaks. Statewide snowpack measures about 71% of average. Reservoir storage stands at 123% of average for this time of year. Snowmelt supplies about one-third of California's annual water, feeding rivers and streams and filling reservoirs via a system of canals and dams. Recent precipitation has trended more toward rain than snow, creating uncertainty about water supplies later in the year.

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