Executive Update

Hydrologic Conditions in California (01/07/2009)

Snowpack Water Content
Region	Water Content (in inches)	% Avg to Date	% April 1 Avg (2)
Northern Sierra	7.60	64	26
Central Sierra	9.30	76	31
Southern Sierra	7.90	87	32
Statewide	8.40	76	30

(2)	April 1 is the date of normal maximum accumulation for the season.

Forecast of Regional Water Supply Indices (3)
Index	Value	Year Type
8 River Index for December (in 1000 AF)	590	n/a
Sacramento Valley Water Year Type Index (40-30-30) @ 50%	5.9	Dry
Sacramento Valley Water Year Type Index (40-30-30) @ 90%	4.2	Critical
San Joaquin Valley Water Year Type Index (60-20-20) @ 50%	2.6	Below Normal
San Joaquin Valley Water Year Type Index (60-20-20) @ 75%	2.0	Critical

(3)	For more information see Sacramento & San Joaquin Valley Water Year Type Index forecast: Latest | Previous     (issued monthly from December 1 through May 1)

Key Reservoir Storage As of 01/06/2009 midnight
Reservoir	River	Storage (in 1000 AF)	Avg Storage (in 1000 AF)	% Average	Capacity (in 1000 AF)	% Capacity	Flood Control (4) Encroachment (in 1000 AF)
Trinity Lake	Trinity	980	1,685	58	2,448	40	---
Shasta Lake	Sacramento	1,377	2,939	47	4,552	30	-2,084
Lake Oroville	Feather	973	2,253	43	3,538	27	-2,190
New Bullards Bar Res	Yuba	461	544	85	966	48	-335
Folsom Lake	American	220	486	45	977	22	-357
New Melones Res	Stanislaus	1,150	1,352	85	2,420	48	-820
Don Pedro Res	Tuolumne	1,051	1,339	78	2,030	52	-639
Lake McClure	Merced	252	462	54	1,025	25	-423
Millerton Lake	San Joaquin	196	291	67	520	38	-239
Pine Flat Res	Kings	185	429	43	1,000	18	-486
Isabella	Kern	119	157	76	568	21	-51
San Luis Res	(Offstream)	536	1,445	37	2,039	26	---

(4)	Temporary encroachment into seasonally reserved flood storage space; requirements can vary considerably on a daily basis due to numerous variables: rainfall amounts, anticipated snowmelt, time of year, soil moisture, etc.

Selected Cities Precipitation Accumulation As of 01/06/2009
	Jul 1 to Date 2008 - 2009 (in inches)	% Avg	Jul 1 to Date 2007 - 2008 (in inches)	% Avg	% Avg Jul 1 to Jun 30 2008 - 2009
Eureka	12.97	76	19.51	114	34
Redding	7.67	60	12.94	101	22
Sacramento	4.82	73	7.77	117	26
San Francisco	5.06	68	8.46	113	25
Fresno	2.82	76	4.20	113	25
Bakersfield	1.80	87	1.14	55	27
Los Angeles	4.66	108	5.94	138	30
San Diego	6.08	173	3.45	98	56

Comments

As of December 31, 2008, statewide hydrologic conditions were as follows: precipitation, 90 percent of average to date; runoff, 40 percent of average to date; and reservoir storage, 70 percent of average for the date. The snowpack is at about 80 percent of its average value for the date. Sacramento River unimpaired runoff observed through December 31, 2008 was about 1.4 million acre-feet (MAF), which is about 44 percent of average. (On December 31, 2007, the observed Sacramento River unimpaired runoff through that date was about 1.5 MAF or about 47 percent of average.) Beginning in mid-December 2008, a series of strong, cold weather systems brought significant amounts of precipitation to California, especially in Southern California. By late December, these storms started to generate inflow into the large multipurpose reservoirs across the State, and snowfall accumulation began in the Sierra. For the month as a whole, rainfall was generally below normal in the northern two-thirds of California and wetter than normal in the southern one-third. During December 2008, the 8-Station Index received 6.0 inches, about 71% of average. Last year at this time, the 8-Station Index had 17.8 inches for the seasonal total. January has started out dry, and approximately two-thirds of the rainy season remains to go. Temperatures were below normal for December for much of the State. The latest National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center (CPC) long-range weather outlook for January 2009, issued December 31, 2008, forecasts average precipitation for all of California. Updates to the Executive Summary will generally be issued roughly weekly or biweekly (depending on conditions) through the wet months of winter and spring. Beginning about June 1, this product is updated monthly through the dry season during the summer and fall. The next update of this product will be issued about Friday, January 23, 2009, unless there are significant hydrologic changes.