California needs more snow accumulation to bolster 2026 water supplies, officials say

PHILLIPS STATION, Calif. (AP) — California is seeing ample rain and water stored in the state’s reservoirs but only about half the snow levels of a year ago, officials said Tuesday, adding it’s too soon to know how that could impact water supplies in the coming year.

Officials at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range that covers the eastern part of the state, recorded a snow depth of 24 inches (61 centimeters), said Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, state hydrometeorologist at the Department of Water Resources’ snow surveys and water supply forecasting unit. The water content of snowpack at the station is at 50% of the average for this time of year and 21% of the average for April 1, when the Sierra snowpack is typically at its peak, she said.

Those levels are about half of what the state saw at this time last year, said David Rizzardo, the department’s hydrology section manager.

“The trend we’re looking at right now is more rain than snow,” Rizzardo told reporters. “We’d like to see the snow accumulation pick up by April 1 so that we’re closer to average.”

The survey was the first in a seasonal series of manual measurements at Phillips Station, which had no snow until recent storms swept through the region. The department also collects measurements with electronic instruments at other sites, and said that statewide the snowpack is 71% of average.

The snowpack serves as a huge frozen reservoir, providing about a third of the water used annually in California as it melts each spring and flows into rivers and streams. The state has built a complex system of canals and dams to capture and store the water in reservoirs for the hot, dry months when it doesn’t rain or snow.

Those reservoirs are measuring at 123% of average for this time of year, Rizzardo said.

The measurements are closely watched in California, which is home to 39 million people and grows much of the country’s fresh fruit and vegetables. The health of the snowpack helps determine whether California will face challenges providing water during the hot summer months to farms and cities.

About a year ago, officials recorded a water content of the snowpack at Phillips Station of 91% of the average. In 2025, the state’s snowpack was near average just ahead of the April 1 peak and the state’s reservoirs above their historic capacity after two wet winters following a years-long drought that forced severe cutbacks in water use.