[Sivad]

I've got a “guess what?” of my own....
Don't be surprised if you read about California water
shortages late this coming Summer. Snowpack equals
water storage so when it is raining at the higher
elevations (and it is) the snow reverts to water
before it is needed. Since the dams can only hold so
much water the dam operators have to let water run
out to the ocean early. More dams and dam capacity
expansion is needed. Can you say ‘Sierra Club’?

[HiTech RedNeck]

I can just see it. “No fair! The ocean needs more California snowmelt water!”

[vette6387]

Absolutely correct. California’s “water storage process” assumes that there are two phases to winter, early rains followed by melting snow. During phase one, they shuffle water off to Southern California to be stored. Then the melting snow refills the reservoirs. Problem is, the reservoirs are all brimming, so they will have to let a lot of water go to make room for the melting snow. You may be correct about the higher elevation of the snowpack this year, but as a skier, I can tell you that where the snow is, it’d damned deep, deeper by far than normal.