Sacramento, CA — The series of storms that flooded California rivers and streams over the long holiday weekend also dumped nearly 50% more snow than is normal for this time of year in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The first snow survey of the season found the snowpack at 145% of normal statewide after a slow start when much of the early precipitation fell as rain.

Colder temperatures led to the weekend´s rapid accumulation. The northern Sierra was back to a normal year. The central part of the range was at 148% of normal.

The southern Sierra, where elevations are generally higher, was at 195% of the typical year´s snow pack.

The state gets more than a third of its drinking and irrigation water from Sierra snow.