CALIFORNIA - California’s snowpack is at 115 percent of the average for this time of year, making it the highest its been in five years since it reached 129 percent in 2011, according to new measurements from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).

Looking back to last April when the state’s Governor Jerry Brown addressed the drought in a press conference, the snowpack had only reached 5 percent of what was average. Thankfully, it seems that the recent El Niño-related storms have been making positive impacts on potential drought relief.

However, DWR officials say the snowpack would have to be at 150 percent of normal by April 1st to ease the four-year drought.

“Our modest increase underscores the fact that we still have a critical water shortage after four-plus years of drought that we don’t know when will end,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin in a written statement. “One look at our low reservoirs tells us that we need a lot more wet weather before summer.”

Along with the comments on California’s snowpack, the DRW also raised its expectations for how much water will be delivered to cities and farms from last month’s 10 percent of what was requested to now 15 percent. The agency measured precipitation at 116 percent of normal in Northern California, where a large number of the state’s reservoirs that supply water to farmers are located.

According to Sacramento’s KCRA3, key reservoirs have already begun to rise, with Lake Oroville in Butte County, the State Water Project's largest reservoir, at 60 percent of its historical average for this time of year.

DWR issues updates on the state’s snowpack monthly, so AndNowUKnow will continue to update you as the situation develops.

Department of Water Resources