The California Snowpack is well below normal levels for early January

California’s wet season is off to a relatively slow start, despite El Niño conditions that often mean a rainy winter.

Of course, last week there were large, damaging storms that battered parts of the coast with huge waves that were as high as 30 feet in some places. But overall, the state has received about a third less precipitation than average for this time of year so far, according to precipitation totals through Sunday.

More worrisome is the state’s snowpack, which state officials said Tuesday is only 25 percent of what it normally is at New Year’s. Unseasonably warm weather in December meant precipitation fell in the form of rain rather than snow, experts say.

That 25 percent figure is the lowest for California in a decade, and a huge change from a year ago. By January 2 last year, a series of atmospheric rivers – storm systems named for their long, narrow shape and the enormous amount of water they carry – had built the snowpack to almost twice the 30-year average.

“Today’s dry fall and below-average conditions show how quickly water conditions can change,” Sean de Guzman of California’s Department of Water Resources said in a statement. “It is far too early to tell what kind of water year we will have, and it will be important for Californians to pay attention to their forecasts and conserve water, rain or shine.”

The state’s reservoirs are still in good shape — all are near or above historical averages — due to extremely wet California in 2023.

But the snowpack is a key part of how they will fare in coming seasons: Melting snow from the Sierra Nevada typically supplies about 30 percent of the state’s water supply, filling rivers and reservoirs and powering hydroelectric systems that provide the region’s electricity .

Officials said the storms expected to move through the state in the coming days should deepen the snowpack, although perhaps not by much.

“Even if these next two storms come and dump every ounce of precipitation they have, we probably won’t get back to average,” Andrew Schwartz, the lead scientist and manager of the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, said Tuesday. . He said there was 32 inches of snow on the ground in the lab, compared to 30 inches on Jan. 2 of an average year.

Still, experts say California still has plenty of time to catch up on its snow deficit. According to Michael Anderson, state climatologist, the state typically receives half of its annual precipitation between January 1 and March 31.

“A lot can change between now and April 1,” when snow levels typically peak, Anderson said.

The effects of the El Niño wind pattern are difficult to predict with certainty, but 50 to 70 percent of El Niños since 1950 have resulted in above-average winter precipitation in California.

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, said the forecasts showed a modest trend toward wetter-than-average conditions in California over the next three months. But they show an even greater likelihood of warmer than average conditions. That could mean a shortage of snow despite an increase in total precipitation – not a good sign for snowpack levels, which he said are currently “terrible.”

“I think the snowpack will improve compared to where it is now,” Swain said in a media briefing Tuesday, “but I don’t necessarily think this will be a good snow year.”

Where we travel to

Today’s tip comes from Maurice Held:

“We had an unforgettable visit to Point Reyes, crossing the amazing almost rainforest to reach the Pacific Ocean where we saw a pod of whales heading north. We learned that the park takes its name from the Spanish who reached this coast on Epiphany, hence ‘Reyes’. Then we took Highway 1 to San Francisco, arriving just in time to see the city glittering in the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was the first time I saw this beautiful city. Unreal, a dream you would love to achieve, and it just happened!”

Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We will share more in future editions of the newsletter.

Tell us

What are you looking forward to in 2024? Milestone birthdays, traveling to new places, taking up a new hobby?

Tell us your expectations for the new year at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Please include your full name and the city where you live.

And before you go: good news

California state and tribal agencies this fall released a family of beavers in Plumas County in the Sierra Nevada with the aim of re-establishing a breeding population there, the first release of beavers in the state in nearly 75 years. The Sacramento Bee reports this.

The project was led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Maidu Summit Consortium, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the land and culture of the Mountain Maidu people. Together, the groups released seven beavers into a creek on a tract of tribal land in Plumas County, where the beaver population was plentiful before pioneers settled the area.

The release represents a milestone in the state and Maidu’s efforts to preserve the region’s ecosystem. Beavers play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, and their water technology can help make their environment more climate-resilient.