Dry January wasn’t just a sober month for people looking to start the year out on a healthy note, it also pretty accurately describes California’s precipitation levels so far in 2026.
The state’s Department of Water Resources on Friday conducted the second snow survey of the rainy season at dozens of locations in the Sierra Nevada and found that the snowpack is 59% of average for this date.
Also, the measurements show the statewide snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 9.7 inches, or 59% of average for this date, compared to 67% on this date last year.
“A dry January, which is historically the wettest month of the year in California, has now eroded the gains made at the start of the year and forecasts currently show no major precipitation in the next two weeks,” DWR officials said in a news release Friday.
Three weeks ago, the snowpack was 89% of average after a series of atmospheric rivers moved across the state following a dry start to 2026.
“After the storms at the start of the year gave way to warm, dry conditions, those early gains we saw have flatlined or slightly eroded,” said Andy Reising, manager of DWR’s Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. “While there is still time for February and March to deliver additional snow, the farther into the season we get with below average conditions, the harder it will be to catch up.”
Despite the dry spell, the state’s major reservoirs are currently at 126% of average due largely to three consecutive years of above-average snowpack conditions.
On average, the Sierra snowpack supplies about 30% of California’s water needs.
The next snow survey is tentatively scheduled for March 2.
For California’s current hydrological conditions, people can visit cww.water.ca.gov.