The National Weather Service says this is now the wettest winter on record in the Northern California mountains.Weather Service officials say an index of precipitation at eight stations in the northern Sierra Nevada surpassed the old record early Thursday, with just under 90 inches of rain and snow.
The previous record of 88.5 inches was set in the winter of 1982-1983.The record was surpassed less than a week after Governor Jerry Brown officially declared an end to California's drought emergency.
Graphic courtesy California Department of Water Resources
Winter storms have blanketed mountains in snow, flooded urban areas, caused damages that could top $1 billion and taxed the state's water infrastructure.
More snow and rain is likely to pad the record before the wet season ends.