California's Snowpack Surges: Promising Progress for Ski Resorts

California's second snow survey at Phillips Station shows a modest improvement in the Sierra snowpack, but conditions remain below average, with the snowpack at 58% of the average for the area. The statewide snowpack is at 52% of the average, an improvement from the 28% recorded on Jan. 1. This year's El Niño has brought below-average precipitation and a smaller snowpack, prompting officials to urge Californians to prepare for all possible conditions during the remaining months of the rainy season. The Sierra snowpack supplies about 30% of California's water needs, and the largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, remains filled at 76% of the average.