California water officials said snowpack in the Sierra Nevada was nearly 19 inches or 115 percent of average, “a modest yet encouraging milestone in a period of prolonged drought,” says the Los Angeles Times. It was the deepest snowpack in five years. Meanwhile El Niño rainstorms have raised water levels in reservoirs. But the California Department of Water Resources said it’s too soon to judge the effect of the precipitation: the April 1 snowpack reading must be significantly above the historical average of 28 inches of water to bring a major benefit.
In an average year, snowmelt provides one-third of the water consumed by farms and cities in the state. Last year, the April 1 measurement was a record-low 5 percent of average due to the drought.
“Slow and steady recovery continues for parts of the West after another round of beneficial precipitation brought … liquid equivalent totals running from 5 to 8 inches or more in some spots of the northern Sierra Nevada and Cascades ranges,” said the weekly Drought Monitor. Fall and winter precipitation has reduced drought coverage and intensity in the Pacific Northwest and California. “This doesn’t mean the region is out of drought, as many of the larger reservoirs in northern California and southern Oregon are still below half of capacity.”
Since late October, the portion of the West under moderate to exceptional drought has dropped to 38.5 percent from 55.4 percent. In Oregon, the percentage dropped to 75 percent from 100 percent in October and in Washington state, the area covered by drought fell to 8 percent, from the previous 100 percent. Almost all of California is in drought but it has lessened in intensity. For example, 64 percent of the state is in extreme or exceptional drought – the two most dire ratings – compared to 71 percent at the end of October.