Jan. 2—After conducting its first snow survey for 2024 on Tuesday, the Department of Water Resources reported that state snowpack levels sit at 25% below average for Jan. 2.

The manual survey recorded 7.5 inches of snow depth in the Sierra Nevada and a snow water equivalent of 3 inches, which is 30% of average for this area.

After seeing one of the largest snowpacks on record last season, officials believe that the start of the 2024 water year has been relatively dry despite recent storms in the last weeks of December.

While state reservoirs are still above average for this time of year and strong El Niño conditions are present in the Pacific Ocean, the outlook for the rest of the winter remains highly uncertain, officials said.

“California saw firsthand last year how historic drought conditions can quickly give way to unprecedented, dangerous flooding,” Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth said in a statement. “Although El Niño does not guarantee an above average water year, California is preparing for the possibility of more extreme storms while increasing our climate resilience for the next drought.”

Electronic readings indicate that the statewide snow water equivalent is 2.5 inches, or 25% of average, compared to 185% on this date last year.

“While we are glad the recent storms brought a small boost to the snowpack, the dry fall and below average conditions today shows how fast water conditions can change,” Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit Manager Sean de Guzman said in a statement. “It’s still far too early to say what kind of water year we will have, and it will be important for Californians to pay attention to their forecasts and conserve water, rain or shine.”