California's snowpack levels above normal

Recent storms have gotten the state off to a good start as the snowpack is above normal statewide.

On Wednesday, the state Department of Water Resources said that early electronic readings indicate that the water content of California’s snowpack is 146 percent above normal for this time of year.

In the mountains above Porterville where snowfall has been scarce, the storms over the past few days have begun to build a snowpack.

The Ponderosa Lodge at 7,200 feet elevation has more than a foot and a half of snow on the ground and even Pierpoint Springs, abut 5,000 feet, had 6 inches of snow on the ground Thursday.

Pierpoint Springs lodge employee Kim Mortland said there was not any snow very far blow the lodge, but about 6 inches was on the ground there Thursday morning.

Porterville’s total rainfall for the season now stands at 2.62 inches as another 0.33 of an inch fell Tuesday night through Wednesday. Rainfall in December now stands at 1.86 inches, better than average.

More may be on the way. The National Weather Service is calling for a 20 percent chance of rain Friday night, 30 percent on Saturday and 20 percent Saturday night. Lows will be in the low-30s with highs in the low- to mid-50s. It will be dry, with fog, for a few days before the next chance of showers returns on Jan. 2.

According to automatic sensors with the Department of Water Resources, there is 7.2 inches of snow on the ground at Quaking Aspen and 4.5 inches at Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park.

Statewide, the snowpack is put at 150 percent of average and already 48 percent of the April 1 average.

The snowpack usually provides a third of the water used by households, farms and industries across the state.

The rain and snow has also helped to put water into reservoirs. Storage in Success Lake was more than 9,000 acre feet as of Thursday, double what it was three weeks ago.