Frank Gehrke, right, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program for the Department of Water Resources, checks the weight of the snowpack on a scale held by Armando Quintero, chairman of the California Water Commission, during the third manual snow survey of the season at Phillips Station, Wednesday, March 1,2017, near Echo Summit, Calif. The survey showed the snowpack at 179 percent of normal for this location at this time of year.The state's electronic snow monitors say the Sierra Nevada snowpack is at 185 percent of normal. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
It’s not just the rain totals that’re high this year… The latest Sierra snowpack survey is revealing the state’s water content is well above average for this time of year. The survey taken by water officials yesterday revealed about 43 inches of water content: that’s just under 180 percent of the long-term average. That’s the fifth highest March 1st reading on record. Another measurement that bodes well for the state’s water supply is that snowpack levels statewide yesterday were 185 percent of normal.