Winter Storms Push California Snowpack Well Above Normal, Bring Record Snow To Tahoe Resorts

Updated 4:30 p.m.

California's water year is running well above average following this weekend's stormy weather.

The National Weather Service in Sacramento uses data from eight monitoring stations throughout the northern Sierra Nevada to judge the state's water content.

Meteorologist Craig Shoemaker said we're currently sitting at 121 percent of average, with above normal snowpack across the Sierra, which is where most of California’s water supply comes from.

“We have also some snow down at lower elevations,” he said. “It's certainly some of the best snowpacks we've had at a lower elevation in a while."

Shoemaker said we still need roughly another foot of precipitation by October to meet the 50-year average. He said ideally he'd like to see a little break from the storms, but would hope for another round of wet weather in late March or early April.

The recent storms have also brought record snowfall to Tahoe-area ski resorts this month.

Northstar near Truckee said it broke its previous February record of 188 inches on Saturday but hasn't issued updated weekend totals.

Squaw Valley broke its record of 196 inches on Friday night. The resort said Saturday and Sunday boosted the totals significantly, with the record now standing at 246 inches, or more than 20 feet.