CALIFORNIA, USA — California officials say January storms have pushed the Sierra Nevada snowpack to 98 percent of average to date, which is good news for state water supplies.
The California Department of Water Resources said Thursday that the snowpack is already at 71 percent of average for the state's rainy season, which typically reaches its maximum by April 1.
The department's John King said the second survey of the season found "a significant increase" from the previous tally. The Sierra snowpack was 67 percent of normal on Jan. 3.
The Sierra snowpack was 67 percent of normal in this winter's first manual measurement earlier this month. The amount of snow is measured monthly through the winter at more than 260 locations to help water managers plan for how much they can deliver to customers later in the year.
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Former Gov. Jerry Brown declared a formal end to a three-year drought emergency in 2017, but said water conservation efforts must continue.
California typically gets about two-thirds of its annual rainfall between December and March. Winter snow provides drinking water for much of the state as it melts in warmer months and flows into reservoirs.
Rain and snow has fallen across the state this week, and more wet storms are predicted.
By early Thursday, Big Sur had already received three-quarters of an inch (19 millimeters) of rain by early Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
The cold front has spawned a few thunderstorms on the Central Coast and is expected to move down into Los Angeles County by midday.
The current storm will be followed by a break and then a much stronger storm late Friday into Saturday.
Riverside County called for a voluntary evacuation of certain areas near a burn scar in the Santa Ana Mountains and the California Office of Emergency Services positioned emergency equipment and personnel there.
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Bird watchers are flocking to the Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway to see some of the estimated five million geese that will make the Sacramento Valley their winter home. Armed with a homemade "Goose Cam," John Bartell tries his hand at nature photography with fairly tragic results.