As storms arrive in California, reservoirs are in good shape. But water forecast is murky

As forecasts tease California with rainstorms this week, the state’s reservoirs are already flush with water. 

It’s a big departure from a year ago: The state’s major reservoirs — which store water collected mostly from rivers in the northern portion of the state  — are in good shape, with levels at 124 percent of average. In late 2022, bathtub rings of dry earth lined lakes that had collectively dipped to about two-thirds of average — until heavy winter storms in January filled many of them almost to the brim.