Barring a 'miracle,' California snowpack will end the season below average

Winter is California's wet season, but a discouraging snow survey performed on Tuesday, along with an ominous (lack of) precipitation record set in Sacramento, shows that California reservoirs will likely not fill up again this year.

"With below-average precipitation and snow up until this point, our team's latest statewide snow melt forecast are only about 66% of average," said Sean de Guzman, manager of the Snow Surveys & Water Supply Forecasting Program with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).

"That's not enough to fill up our reservoirs and without any significant storms on the horizon, it's safe to say that we will end this year dry and continue on into the third year of this drought."

Snowfall in the Sierra Nevadas is imperative to replenishing the state's water supply. The DWR surveys the mountains for snow periodically during the winter months in order to better predict water levels later in the year. Tuesday, the third survey of the winter was conducted on the Phillips Station snow course in the Sierra Nevadas.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/barring-a-miracle-california-snowpack-will-end-the-season-below-average/ar-AAUu5oT