Reservoirs, snowpack are benefitting big time from California's stormy pattern
Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville have both seen significant jumps in water storage in the past week.
Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville have both seen significant jumps in water storage in the past week.
Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville have both seen significant jumps in water storage in the past week.
It's been a wild couple of weeks of weather in Northern California. But there is a rather bright silver lining to this train of storms: our surface water supply is getting a big boost.
Here's a look at some of the highlights.
Reservoir Levels
On Oct. 1, 2022, the start of the new water year for California, reservoir levels were woefully low throughout the state. But after an active December and now a very busy January, water levels are rising quickly.
Folsom was the fastest reservoir to fill up to the seasonal benchmark. There's no surprise there, given that it's one of the smallest in the region.
As of Tuesday evening, the lake is at 42% of capacity, which is exactly average for early January. One week ago, the lake was at 58% of total capacity.
The water level has dropped as a result of increased releases. Those releases at this early point in the season ensure that there is enough space in the reservoir for additional rainfall and eventual snowmelt.
Lake Oroville is currently at 47% of capacity. One month ago exactly, the lake was at just 28% of capacity.
As for Shasta, the state's largest surface water basin, storage has risen from 31% last month to 42% Wednesday. That is 70% of average for this date. That means there is plenty of room to capture more water as more storm systems come through in the next couple of weeks. No releases are planned from Shasta or Oroville at this time as the goal here is to capture as much water as possible.
Season Rainfall Totals
As of Tuesday, Jan. 10, the season rainfall total for downtown Sacramento was at 15.43 inches. The average to this point in the season is 7.61 inches. The rain season began Oct. 1. Wednesday's light rain makes 17 consecutive days with measurable rainfall downtown.
Stockton has seen record rainfall so far this season, measuring 12.59 inches of rain in addition to what fell on Wednesday. The period from Oct. 1 through Jan. 10 is now the wettest on record for the city.
Modesto has also seen much greater than average rainfall. As of Tuesday night, the rainfall total for the city was 10.90 inches. The average from Oct. 1st to now is 4.58 inches.
Sierra Snowpack
Reservoirs are steadily filling up with runoff from rainfall and later this season, there will be plenty of snowmelt to look forward to.
As of Wednesday, the statewide snowpack is at 226% of average for the date. The snow water content is at 102% of the April 1 average. April 1 is an important date because that's when water managers count on the snowpack reaching its greatest water content. That is an important consideration when forecasting available water for the summer and fall.
It is important to keep in mind that several recent storms have produced a lot of rain on top of snow. The existing snowpack has acted like a sponge, locking that rainwater in. The hope is that it remains cold enough for that water to stay locked up in the mountains, rather than running off early and forcing additional reservoir releases.
For now, the forecast is promising for plenty of new snow above 6,000 feet through the holiday weekend.