Despite a bad start to the rainy season in California, the recent storms across the state have helped ease fears of insufficient water for the coming growing and recreation season. 

The significant fires of the past year and unusually dry start to the winter had many concerned, but a weather pattern shift in late February brought rounds of rain and snow to the state. 

At the beginning of February, snowpack in the Sierras was only 27% of the normal rate, but the recent storms have pushed that up to 56%. 

The majority of the reservoirs in California are at, or above, historical levels, apart from Oroville. The shortage in Oroville may be due in part to damage to the dam last year, or more releases than average. Rain and snow for the next few weeks aren’t as promising as the storms in early March. After April 1, odds of big storms targeting California are relatively low.

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