One For The Record Books: Water Content In CA Snowpack Highest Ever

CALIFORNIA — An endless parade of storms has secured this snow season a place in the history books, with California on Thursday recording its largest-ever snowpack in terms of water content, dethroning the 1982 - 1983 season. The Golden State's statewide snowpack sits at 236 percent of normal. In the Southern Sierra, the figure is closer to 300 percent. The Northern Sierra is lagging at 191 percent.

The latest storms dumped several feet of new snow over the Sierra Nevada mountains this week, launching California's snow-water content — the amount of water stored in the snowpack — to an average of nearly 61 inches, beating the previous record set in May 1983.

The historic snowfall has granted an unprecedented late-season boon to ski resorts across the state, with most already having announced plans to extend operations considerably longer than usual.

At Mammoth Mountain, where the resort expects to remain open through at least the end of July, almost two feet of snow fell within just 24 hours earlier this week. Another 7 inches fell into Thursday morning, bringing Mammoth's seasonal snowfall total above 700 inches for the first time in recorded history. An average season sees 400 inches.

At the Main Lodge on the summit, Mammoth reported a seasonal snow total of 870 inches. Crews were working to open mid-mountain lifts Thursday morning, but officials said extensive avalanche control work was needed across the mountain.

Around Lake Tahoe, more than a foot of new snow fell earlier this week, with 14 inches gracing the Palisades, bringing that resort within less than a foot of reaching its all-time record of 701 inches. Officials there plan to stay open until the Fourth of July.

Heavenly had 562 inches of snow as of Thursday, within just two inches of its record-setting 2016 - 2017 season. Kirkwood needs just a half-foot of snow to break its 700-inch record set in the early 1980s.

At Donner Pass, an incredible 812 inches of snow fell in 1952. Snowfall this season is within 100 inches of that record.

In their spring outlook shared earlier this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted widespread drought relief for California through the spring and near total drought eradication for a vast portion of the Golden State.

In the near term, forecasters are tracking a weaker system that is expected to bring more precipitation to Northern California on Saturday before arriving in Southern California on Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.