Snowpack
Snow season overCalifornia snowpack
Statewide snow water equivalent vs the 1991-2020 median
Data through Oct 28, 2026 · source last checked Oct 30, 2026 · page revised Oct 29, 2026
Cite
- This snow year
- 1991-2020 median
About this data
- Source
- USDA NRCS SNOTEL (Air-Water Database)
- Series
- Snow water equivalent (WTEQ), basin-index percent of the 1991-2020 median
- Geography
- California
- Unit
- in
- Calculation
- Daily reading, aggregated across reporting SNOTEL stations
- Last observation
- Jun 21, 2026
- Update frequency
- Daily in season (Oct-Jun); melts out by mid-summer
Snow year complete. California's snowpack peaked at 0.0 in of snow water equivalent around Oct 22, 2026. The 2028 snow year begins October 1.
California's snowpack peaked at 0.0 in of snow water equivalent around Oct 22, 2026, completing the water year. Water-year precipitation stands at 0.8 in through Oct 28, running 59% of the median.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| This season's peak (SWE) | 0.0 in on Oct 22, 2026 |
| Percent of median at last snow reading | 0% (Jun 21, 2026) |
| Water-year precipitation to date | 0.8 in (59% of median) |
Previous weeks
An earlier week
California's snowpack peaked at 0.0 in of snow water equivalent on Oct 22, 2026, matching the 1991-2020 median for late October. Water-year precipitation to date stands at 0.8 in, 63% of the median.
An earlier week
California's snowpack peaked at 0.0 in of snow water equivalent on Oct 22, 2026. Water-year precipitation through Oct 26 stands at 0.8 in, 68% of the 1991-2020 median.
Week of Oct 25, 2026
California's snowpack peaked at 0.0 in of snow water equivalent on Oct 22, with the 2026 snow year now complete. The state held 0.025 in SWE at the last reading on Oct 25, compared to a 1991-2020 median of 0 in for that date. Water-year precipitation to date is 0.8 in, running at 72% of the 1991-2020 median.
An earlier week
California's snowpack peaked at 0.2 in of snow water equivalent on Oct 23, 2026. Water-year precipitation through Oct 24 is 0.8 in, or 77% of the 1991-2020 median.
About California snowpack
Snow water equivalent (SWE) is the depth of water held in the snowpack, and it is the single number that best predicts the coming spring and summer runoff. Depth alone can mislead: a deep, dry snowpack can hold less water than a shallow, dense one.
The Waterline reads California's snowpack from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service SNOTEL network using the standard basin-index method. It sums the current water content across every reporting SNOTEL station in California (32 on the latest reading), divides by the sum of those same stations' 1991-2020 medians for the date, and reports the ratio as percent of median, so a deep high-elevation site counts for more than a shallow valley one and a station with no long-term normal never distorts the number. The inch figures shown here are the average snow water equivalent across those reporting stations.
Snow builds from about October, normally peaks near April 1, and melts out by early summer. Once the normal snowpack for the date nears zero, percent of median stops being a meaningful number, so this page reports the season's peak instead of a percentage until the snow returns.