ECHO SUMMIT, CA – The first official survey of the Sierra Nevada snowpack took place this week. It showed that there is more snow than last year at this time, but much more is needed to end the California drought.

The Sacramento Business Journal reports that the Department of Water Resources conducted the survey at an elevation around 6,8oo feet about 90 miles east of Sacramento. The results showed that there is 21.3 inches of snow on the ground after the recent heavy storms. The water content of the snow measured in the survey was approximately 33% of average.

Across California, 105 electronic sensors in the Sierra detected water content of about 50% of the multi-year average for the day, according to the Associated Press. That represents a large improvement over 2013 and 2012, which tied as the driest readings on record with only 20% of the normal level.

“Although this year’s survey shows a deeper snowpack than last year, California needs much more rain and snow than we’ve experienced over the past two years to end the drought in 2015,” Mark Cowin, Director of the Department of Water Resources, said in a news release. “The department encourages Californians to continue their water conservation practices.”

Though it is still well below average, any increase is good news. California’s snowpack supplies nearly a third of the water needed by the state's residents, agriculture and industry as it melts in the late spring and summer. 

Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to track the Sierra snowpack and other significant weather patterns.