California Snowpack at 18% of Average on April 1

California's Sierra Nevada snowpack reached a critically low level on April 1, 2026, measuring just 18 percent of its historical average statewide, according to the California Department of Water Resources. The agency's final survey of the season, conducted at Phillips Station near Lake Tahoe, found no measurable snow at the site, marking the second-lowest April 1 reading since records began in 1950.

The disappointing results stem from a combination of factors that accelerated snowmelt far earlier than usual. Much of the state's winter precipitation fell as rain rather than snow, reducing the natural storage in the mountains. Record-high temperatures in March, which shattered norms across the West, caused rapid melting that officials described as unseasonal. "The snow melt that we saw in March looked more like we would typically see in later April or even May," said Andy Reising, manager of the DWR's Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. Measurements from over 260 locations, including automated sensors, confirmed the statewide average, with the survey site showing zero inches of depth and water content.

This year's snowpack peaked around late February at about 76...