The statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides nearly one-third of California’s water supply, began the year in good shape, at 108% of normal.

But as anyone who went skiing or did yardwork over the past month knows, January was very dry, which contributed to the Los Angeles wildfires, and growing nervousness among water managers across the state.

On Friday, the statewide Sierra snowpack had fallen to just 65% of its historical average for this time of year. The good news is that at won’t last long. Northern California began being pounded by a series of storms Friday that are expected to bring considerable amounts of snow and rain for at least a week — a key boost to improve the state’s water outlook.

“The year began fairly well, better than last year,” said Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory, near Donner Summit. “We had a nice big atmospheric river in November and another in December that put us above average. Then the tap shut off.”

Until Friday morning, it hadn’t snowed at all at the lab since Jan. 4. That 27-day run is the fourth-longest dry spell during any winter since 1971, with only 2022, 1991 and 1971 having longer snow-free periods.

But now, two or three new storms heading in from the Pacific are forecast to dump up to 5 feet of new snow in the Lake Tahoe area by next Friday, Schwartz said.

“These storms should bring us up to normal again, if not above,” Schwartz said. “It was getting concerning. You definitely want the storm window to open, and that’s what’s happening now. It’s going to help us a lot.”

California has struggled with three severe droughts over the past generation: From 2007-2009, then 2012-2016, and most recently from 2020-2022.

The past two winters have seen above average rain and snow, however, leaving most of the state’s major reservoirs currently at or above historical averages.