California Snowpack Hits Second-Lowest Level on Record

California's snowpack reached its second-lowest level on record this week, raising concerns among experts about an early and intense wildfire season in the state's mountains.

State officials measured the snowpack at just 18 percent of average statewide on Wednesday, April 1, during the annual survey at Phillips Station south of Lake Tahoe. In the northern mountains that supply major reservoirs, the figure was even lower at 6 percent of average. The measurement marked only the second time in history that snow levels have been this low at the traditional peak of accumulation, surpassed only by the severe drought year of 2015, when it stood at 5 percent.

The disappointing results cap a winter of uneven weather. Precipitation across California has been near average overall, but much of it arrived as rain rather than snow, limiting buildup in higher elevations. Record-breaking heat in March then accelerated the melt of what little snow remained. Despite these challenges, the state's key reservoirs remain well above historical averages and are approaching full capacity, bolstered by recent scattered snow, rain and thunderstorms that have tempered the prior month's heat wave.