California Got Snow in April and May. What Does It Mean for the Snowpack?

After California saw extended periods of dry weather in the middle of winter, a series of late-season storms swept the Golden State in April and May, dusting the Sierra Nevada with fresh snow.

Did those spring snow showers help bolster the dwindling snowpack that historically provides about a third of the state’s water supply?

The short answer is that every little bit helps, but the snow did not come close to making up for almost no precipitation in January through March, normally the height of California’s wet season, said David Rizzardo, chief of hydrology for California’s Department of Water Resources.