DWR Conducts First Snow Survey of the 2025-2026 Season

PHILLIPS STATION — The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted its initial manual snow survey of the season on December 30 at Phillips Station in the central Sierra Nevada. Located off Highway 50 near Echo Summit, southwest of Lake Tahoe, the site serves as a key indicator for the state’s snowpack conditions.

During the survey, DWR staff measured a snow depth of 24 inches and a snow water equivalent of 5 inches. The snow water equivalent represents the amount of water contained within the snowpack, which stood at 50 percent of the historical average for this location and date, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

Statewide, electronic readings from approximately 130 sensors across the Sierra Nevada showed the snowpack at 71 percent of average for December 30, with a snow water equivalent of 6.5 inches. The Sierra Nevada snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs as it melts into rivers and reservoirs each spring and summer.

Recent late-December storms delivered much-needed precipitation after a dry and warm early month delayed snow accumulation. Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, state hydrometeorologist for DWR, noted, “The dry conditions and warmer temperatures in early December delayed our snow-building season, but the return of storm activity, especially in the last week, helped to build a solid base for this year’s snowpack. Thankfully, the recent storms that reached the state were cold enough to provide necessary benefits for the snowpack and our water supply.”

DWR Director Karla Nemeth added that winter precipitation remains the primary factor in water deliveries statewide. Major reservoirs currently hold 123 percent of average storage, benefiting from recent storms atop three prior years of above-average conditions.

The peak snowpack typically occurs around April 1, and January, February, and March are historically the months with the heaviest snowfall in the Sierra Nevada. Officials emphasized that continued storms will determine the final outcome for water supplies. The next manual survey at Phillips Station is tentatively scheduled for February 3, 2026, according to the California Department of Water Resources.