SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The water contained in California's mountain snow is now at 92% of its historical average after a January without significant amounts of rain or snow.
That's a dramatic swing from December, when heavy precipitation put the snowpack's water content at 160% of the average. The state Department of Water Resources issued snow measurements on Tuesday and officials will physically measure the snow at a station in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The low January precipitation is disappointing news for California, which needs a wet winter to reduce drought conditions. Much of the state is still in severe drought though overall conditions have improved since last winter.
