Executive Update

Hydrologic Conditions in California (11/07/2008)

Snowpack Water Content
Region	Water Content (in inches)	% Avg to Date	% April 1 Avg (2)
Northern Sierra	---	--- (3)	---
Central Sierra	---	--- (3)	---
Southern Sierra	---	--- (3)	---
Statewide	---	--- (3)	---

(2)	April 1 is the date of normal maximum accumulation for the season.
(3)	'Percent Average to Date' is not calculated this early in the WY when the historical average is small.

Forecast of Regional Water Supply Indices (5)
Index	Value	Year Type
8 River Index for October (in 1000 AF)	360	n/a
Sacramento Valley Water Year Type Index (40-30-30) @ 50%	5.4	Critical
Sacramento Valley Water Year Type Index (40-30-30) @ 90%	5.0	Critical
San Joaquin Valley Water Year Type Index (60-20-20) @ 50%	2.2	Dry
San Joaquin Valley Water Year Type Index (60-20-20) @ 75%	2.1	Critical

(4)	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 11/06/2008 midnight
Reservoir	River	Storage (in 1000 AF)	Avg Storage (in 1000 AF)	% Average	Capacity (in 1000 AF)	% Capacity	Flood Control (6) Encroachment (in 1000 AF)
Trinity Lake	Trinity	1,035	1,607	64	2,448	42	---
Shasta Lake	Sacramento	1,312	2,754	48	4,552	29	-2,451
Lake Oroville	Feather	1,032	2,166	48	3,538	29	-2,068
New Bullards Bar Res	Yuba	496	529	94	966	51	-300
Folsom Lake	American	234	488	48	977	24	-441
New Melones Res	Stanislaus	1,109	1,304	85	2,420	46	-861
Don Pedro Res	Tuolumne	1,031	1,297	80	2,030	51	-659
Lake McClure	Merced	261	449	58	1,025	25	-414
Millerton Lake	San Joaquin	168	192	87	520	32	-268
Pine Flat Res	Kings	132	354	37	1,000	13	-683
Isabella	Kern	111	156	71	568	20	-59
San Luis Res	(Offstream)	279	1,132	25	2,039	14	---

(5)	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 11/06/2008
	Jul 1 to Date 2008 - 2008 (in inches)	% Avg	Jul 1 to Date 2007 - 2007 (in inches)	% Avg	% Avg Jul 1 to Jun 30 2008 - 2009
Eureka	3.92	84	6.57	140	10
Redding	3.72	102	4.28	117	11
Sacramento	3.10	181	1.12	65	17
San Francisco	2.37	135	2.13	122	11
Fresno	0.61	55	0.24	22	5
Bakersfield	0.29	45	0.41	64	4
Los Angeles	0.27	28	1.47	150	1
San Diego	0.32	34	0.42	44	2

Comments

As of October 31, 2008 (the first month of Water Year 2009), statewide hydrologic conditions were as follows: precipitation, 60 percent of average to date; runoff, 55 percent of average to date; and reservoir storage, 70 percent of average for the date. Reservoir storage at the end of October 2007 was at 85 percent of average for the date. However, after two consecutive dry years, water levels in the major multipurpose reservoirs are now significantly below average (the lowest in 14 years). Sacramento River unimpaired runoff observed through October 31, 2008 was about 0.3 million acre-feet (MAF), which is about 65% of average. (On October 31, 2007, the observed Sacramento River unimpaired runoff through that date was about 0.5 MAF or about 89% of average.) Water Year 2009 got off to a wet start with a storm in early October and additional storms at the end of the month, which continued into early November. For the month of October, the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index totaled 3.1 inches, or about 103% of average. On November 10, the 8-station Index accumulated a seasonal total of 8.4 inches, which is 165% of the seasonal average to date and 17% of an average Water Year (50.0 inches). It will take a significantly above average rainfall season to alleviate current drought conditions. For the 8-Station Index, Water Year 2008 was the 15th driest year out of 88 years of record. The Spring of 2008 turned out to be extremely dry. The Water Year 2008 combined March through June total precipitation was only 3.4 inches, the driest on record (since 1921). The 2-year combined total precipitation for Water Years 2007 (37.2 inches) and 2008 (34.9 inches) was 72.1 inches, the ninth driest 2-year period on record. January and early February of 2008 brought significant amounts of precipitation to California, including heavy snowfall in the mountains. The large water supply reservoirs received some inflow from these storms; however, the amounts were muted because much of the precipitation fell as snow. Very dry hydrologic conditions prevail because precipitation was significantly below average during Water Year 2007 and the Spring of Water Year 2008. The Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley Water Year Type indexes were both classified as Critical during Water Year 2008. The latest National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center (CPC) long-range weather outlook for November 2008, issued October 31, 2008, forecasts above average precipitation for Northern California, below average precipitation for Southern California and average precipitation for the central portion of the State. Updates to the Executive Summary will generally be issued weekly 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 Tuesday, December 9, 2008, unless there are significant hydrologic changes.