After a rainy and snowy start of February, California’s water situation is starting to look promising for the year. All but one of the major reservoirs are storing in excess of 100% of their average, and five out of the 12 are nearing capacity, since they are over 75% full. Also, no part of the state is currently under drought conditions. But that doesn’t mean California no longer faces chronic water shortages. Droughts are becoming more common and more extreme as the climate crisis intensifies, and communities dependent on depleted underground aquifers and parched Colorado River supplies do not have enough water to meet the demands of their farms and cities. . … Last year’s Sierra Nevada snowpack tied with 1952 for the highest on record at the end of the snow season. So far this year, on Feb. 5, the snowpack was 72% of average for that date.

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