Northern California's water year is off to a slow start, but forecasters say there's still plenty of time to make up the deficit. The National Weather Service says rainfall for the lower elevations of the northern Sierra stands at 38-percent of normal.
Sacramento has recorded about 2.25-inches of rain since October 1st which is 42-percent of average. Redding is at 32-percent with just about three inches of rain. The statewide Sierra snow pack sits at 54-percent of normal.
The Department of Water Resources will conduct the first manual snow survey of the season on December 30th.