Wednesday June 24, 2026
The Plumas Sun —
In January, the U.S. Drought Monitor declared California drought-free for the first time in 25 years. The state has received 97% of average precipitation since the water year began Oct. 1 2025. So why is everyone so concerned about water?
It comes down to snowpack. The University of California, Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Laboratory recorded a cumulative 294 inches of snow for the winter season, about 40 inches below average and 87% of the annual median. The problem is, it didn’t stick around.
The West saw its warmest winter on record, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, causing the Sierra snowpack to melt fast and early — a phenomenon known as a snow drought. Snow melt recorded March 1 had reached levels usually expected by May, according to California’s Department of Water Resources. By April 1, snowpack across the state was just 18 percent of average, data showed. The National Integrated Drought Information System called this winter’s snowpack the second lowest on record for California since 1981.
In a typical year, a gradual release of snowmelt water fills creeks and reservoirs, and helps to sustain vegetation through the relatively dry summer months. The lack of that reserve has the potential to impact both water supply and wildfire risk.