February storms brought fresh snow to the Sierra Nevada, but California’s snowpack remains far smaller than average during a winter that has brought record warmth across much of the West. California water officials said Friday that the Sierra snowpack is at 66% of average for this time of year. … California relies on the Sierra snowpack for about 30% of its water. But extreme warmth across the West this winter has meant more precipitation falling as rain, not snow — a symptom of global warming, which in recent years has been pushing average snow lines higher in the mountains and changing the timing of runoff.

Other snowpack and water supply news around the West:

• KJZZ (Phoenix): Want to know how much water will flow to Phoenix? Look in the snow
• The Fence Post (Greeley, Colo.): Recent snow helped somewhat, but snow drought lingers
• The Sacramento Bee (Calif.): California snowpack totals remain below average despite recent storms
• Abridged – PBS KVIE (Sacramento, Calif.): Sacramento-area rivers and reservoirs run high as the Sierra Nevada struggles for snow
• ABC30 (Bakersfield, Calif.): High water levels expected for 2026 as San Joaquin River begins rising
• California WaterBlog: Lessons learned measuring and modeling evaporation across California
• Wildfire Today: Blog: ‘Unprecedented’ snow drought sets up extreme wildfires for Western US in 2026