Final Survey Of The Season Finds Sierra Snowpack At Just 3 Percent Of May Average

PHILLIPS STATION (CBS13) — The final snow survey of the season in the Sierra Nevada paints a dire picture of California's water year.

Officials with the Department of Water Resources conducted their final manual snow survey u pat Phillips Station on Thursday. Surveyors recorded just 1.5 inches of snow depth at the location - which is just 3 percent of the May average, DWR says.

Electronic snowpack sensors around the state recorded better, but still rather lackluster numbers. DWR says the statewide snowpack is only at 37 percent of the May average.

Some this past month brought the snowpack to its peak on April 9, but it was still just 66 percent of average at the highest.

The March and April storms just couldn't make up for the dry January and February, DWR says.

Still, DWR notes that the state's six largest reservoirs are holding between 83 to 126 percent of their historical averages at this point in the year.