SIERRA NEVADA - We’re off to a strong start this year Sierra snow fans. How do you like the sound of a snowpack that’s showing about a 110 percent to 136 percent of normal levels?

According to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Mt. Rose’s SNOTEL site near Reno, NV, showed 54 inches of snow depth and nearly 16 inches of snow water equivalent. That's about 110 percent of average for this time in January and well above the 60 percent reading at this point last year, reports the Reno Gazette-Journal. 

At Phillips Station in El Dorado County, which is at 6,800 feet, California's Department of Water Resources (DWR) measured snow depths at 136 percent of average for this time of year. The water content there is at 16.3 inches and snow depth is nearly 5 feet. 

"I'm delighted with this winter, so far," USDA Researcher Jeff Anderson explained to CBS’s KTVN News. "I think we're on the trajectory that we haven't been on in a few seasons. That's for sure, and that's towards above-average snowpack." 

The DWR measures at nearly 100 survey locations across the Sierra Nevada, which gives an even more accurate depiction of what the snow packs truly look like. Measurements from December 30 indicate the water content of the northern Sierra snowpack is 11 inches, the central and southern Sierra readings were 12.1 inches, and 7 inches respectively. Statewide, the snowpack held 10.2 inches of water equivalent, or 105 percent of the December 30 average, according to the DWR.

As of now, it’s too early to tell what this will mean for drought conditions overall. All researchers know is that we need to keep up the progress.

January is traditionally the wettest month of the year, followed by December and February, KTVN News says, making the next few months critical for our water supply. Dave Wathen, Chief Hydrologist for the Water Master's Office, shared the sentiment of many researchers, saying that while he is encouraged by the early results, it's too soon to be satisfied. 

"By far, the majority of our water comes from snow and snowmelt. This is our biggest reservoir, up here, is the snowpack," Wathen said. "We need it to keep on coming and accumulating, and hopefully by April 1, we'll be well above average, which is needed to fill our reservoirs."

The snowpack provides about 30 percent of California's water supply, KCRA 3 reports, especially during the months when it melts and rushes through rivers and streams to fill reservoirs that remain critically low.