After a run of spring‑like warmth and stubborn high pressure, forecasters say California could finally see a shift toward cooler, wetter conditions by mid‑February — a welcome sign for skiers, water managers, and anyone hoping for more snow in California. Meteorologists with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno say the ridge that has kept storms away since early January is beginning to show cracks. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is now leaning toward a colder, wetter stretch for the Sierra and parts of Northern California later this month, though exact timing and snow totals remain uncertain.

Other weather and snowpack news around the West:

• San Francisco Chronicle: Sierra snow is finally returning, along with Bay Area rain. Here’s what to expect
• Reno Gazette Journal (Nev.): Is the Sierra winter waking up? When snow chances rise for Reno-Tahoe
• Colorado Public Radio: Dry, warm winter leaves the West with worst snowpack in decades, federal forecasters say
• Aspen Public Radio (Colo.): Snow drought in upper Colorado River basin is breaking records, setting up for a drier spring
• Weather West: Blog: After a long, dry, and very warm January, a cooler & wetter pattern will return to the U.S. West, with partial relief amid record-low mountain snowpack