Executive Update

Hydrologic Conditions in California (02/01/2012)

Snowpack Water Content
Region	Water Content (in inches)	% Avg to Date	% April 1 Avg (2)
Northern Sierra	7.20	40	25
Central Sierra	6.10	32	20
Southern Sierra	6.10	41	24
Statewide	6.40	38	23

(2)	April 1 is the date of normal maximum accumulation for the season.

Forecast of Regional Water Supply Indices (3)
Index	Value	Year Type
8 River Index for January (in 1000 AF)	960	n/a
Sacramento Valley Water Year Type Index (40-30-30) @ 50%	6.0	Dry
Sacramento Valley Water Year Type Index (40-30-30) @ 90%	5.1	Critical
San Joaquin Valley Water Year Type Index (60-20-20) @ 50%	2.4	Dry
San Joaquin Valley Water Year Type Index (60-20-20) @ 75%	2.0	Critical

(3)	For more information see Sacramento & San Joaquin Valley Water Year Type Index forecast: Latest | Previous     (Issued monthly from December 1 through May 1)

Key Reservoir Storage As of 01/31/2012 midnight
Reservoir	River	Storage (in 1000 AF)	Avg Storage (in 1000 AF)	% Average	Capacity (in 1000 AF)	% Capacity	Flood Control (4) Encroachment (in 1000 AF)
Trinity Lake	Trinity	1,956	1,763	111	2,448	80	---
Shasta Lake	Sacramento	3,107	3,133	99	4,552	68	-721
Lake Oroville	Feather	2,545	2,384	107	3,538	72	-552
New Bullards Bar Res	Yuba	649	581	112	966	67	-147
Folsom Lake	American	413	516	80	977	42	-164
New Melones Res	Stanislaus	1,972	1,392	142	2,420	82	2
Don Pedro Res	Tuolumne	1,526	1,385	110	2,030	75	-164
Lake McClure	Merced	662	500	132	1,025	65	-12
Millerton Lake	San Joaquin	317	340	93	520	61	-100
Pine Flat Res	Kings	584	478	122	1,000	58	-46
Isabella	Kern	171	169	101	568	30	1
San Luis Res	(Offstream)	1,938	1,626	119	2,039	95	---

(4)	Temporary encroachment into seasonally reserved flood storage space; requirements can vary considerably on a daily basis due to numerous variables: rainfall amounts, anticipated snowmelt, time of year, soil moisture, etc.

Selected Cities Precipitation Accumulation As of 01/31/2012
	Jul 1 to Date 2011 - 2012 (in inches)	% Avg	Jul 1 to Date 2010 - 2011 (in inches)	% Avg	% Avg Jul 1 to Jun 30 2011 - 2012
Eureka	18.34	78	22.84	97	45
Redding	12.12	61	17.51	89	35
Sacramento	4.78	47	11.06	108	26
San Francisco	6.05	44	13.23	97	26
Fresno	2.95	50	9.87	169	26
Bakersfield	1.75	54	7.65	236	27
Los Angeles	4.19	62	11.79	175	33
San Diego	4.97	94	8.41	159	48

Comments

As of January 31, statewide hydrologic conditions were as follows: precipitation, 60 percent of average to date; runoff, 40 percent of average to date; snow water equivalent, 35 percent of average for the date (20 percent of the April 1 average); and reservoir storage, 110 percent of average for the date. Sacramento River Region unimpaired runoff observed through January 31, 2012 was about 2.3 million acre-feet (MAF), which is about 41 percent of average. For comparison, on January 31, 2011, the observed Sacramento River Region unimpaired runoff through that date was about 6.2 MAF, or about 108 percent of average. Precipitation in January, for most regions of California, was below normal. On January 31, the Northern Sierra 8-Station Precipitation Index Water Year total was 14.5 inches, which is about 54 percent of the seasonal average to date and 29 percent of an average water year (50.0 inches). During January, the total precipitation for the 8-Stations was 7.6 inches, which is about 84 percent of the monthly average. Last year on January 31, the seasonal total for the 8-Stations was 33.9 inches, or about 127 percent of average for the date. On January 31, the San Joaquin 5-Station Precipitation Index Water Year total was 10.1 inches, which is about 49 percent of the seasonal average to date and 25 percent of an average water year (40.8 inches). During January, the total precipitation for the 5-Stations was 6.1 inches, which is about 80 percent of the monthly average. Last year on January 31, the seasonal total for the 5-Stations to date was 35.0 inches, or about 170 percent of average for the date. The latest National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center (CPC) long-range, 1-month precipitation outlook for February 2012, issued January 31, 2012, suggests below average precipitation for almost all of California. The outlook suggests no tendency for above or below average rainfall for the extreme northeastern portion of the State. Updates to the Executive Summary will generally be issued approximately weekly, biweekly, or monthly (depending on conditions) through the wet months of winter and spring. Beginning about June 1, this product is updated monthly through the dry seasons of summer and fall. The next update of this product will be issued about Friday, March 9, 2012, unless there are significant hydrologic changes.