The good news is conditions are much better than last year when there almost no snow at all, but the bad news is snowpack readings throughout the Sierras are slighly below historical averages for this time of year. Spokesman Doug Carlson with the Department of Water Resources also says the dry ground will also hurt run off. 

 

 

The upshot is the drought will continue in California, at least until the state gets above average amounts of rainfall. He says Wednesday's measurements are one of several pieces of data that go into how much water is allocated to water districts and farmers around the state.