Despite January's storms and a bit of snow overnight, Wednesday's state Department of Water Resources snow survey showed there is still not a lot of water trapped in Sierra snow.
Manual and electronic readings showed just 37 percent of normal snow water content for Feb. 1, officials reported.
"We had a series of very decent storms in January, but we have not had enough of them," said Ted Thomas, a DWR spokesman. "The storm gate's been pretty much closed to California."
The good news, Thomas said, is that large amounts of water from last year's heavy winter storms still remain in storage.
The DWR forecast it will be able to satisfy 60 percent of its contracted water demands.
"Sixty percent is actually pretty good," Thomas said. It is rare that the agency is able to satisfy 100 percent of the contract demand.
Measurements Wednesday were the second lowest on record for the date at two locations near Echo Summit, Lyons Creek and Alpha.
Those records go back more than 45 years for Alpha, nearly 55 for Lyons.
Even so, Wednesday's snow levels and associated water content were an improvement on last month, when no snow was measured in some locations and the total water content was only 19 percent of the yearly average for the date.
Snow survey numbers also break down the water content over the Northern, Central and Southern Sierra.
The Northern Sierra, going as far south as Truckee, showed snow at 41 percent of the normal to date.
The Central Sierra – from the Yuba River and Lake Tahoe down to the Merced and Walker rivers – was only at 32 percent.
The Southern Sierra snows held about 42 percent of average for the date.
Further snowfall could improve the water outlook, but the DWR is just in a wait and see mode, Thomas said.
The agency conducts monthly surveys from January until May.
The early April survey generally represents the peak of snow accumulation before it begins to diminish.
The DWR and the State Water Project provide water for about 25 million people and nearly a million acres of farmland, but is not the state's only provider.
"It's important to remember that we're a supplemental water source for almost all the people we serve," Thomas said.
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