[www.weather.com]

Such a strange contrast from last year.

Last rain season (winter & early spring 2011) was so huge that the levels on the American River were WAY up. Then the levels start falling after the spring run off.

But the last season saw SO MUCH rain and THIS season so little that last season's low water mark was this season's high water mark.

Does that make any sense? Essentially, the levels have steadily fallen since the high water mark from around January 2011. There's usually a low in Aug/Sept and levels start to rise in the winter again. Didn't happen this year...

Nice graphic !

I am glad I now longer work in the retail ski business in Sacramento.
Last year too much snow and bad travel, and this years late snow ave made the ski retail very challenging in Northern CA

Very cool. Just discussing this at lunch, in fact. Definitely a dry year west of the Rockies. Here in Ohio we're STILL soaked. The sump pump is getting a major workout. I just replaced the battery in the battery backup unit.

Why is there a different in a small section near the coast? Snow in Oakland?

at this rate the entire US will be coated in snow in 1.5 weeks. i'm making snowshoes.

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MikeF
Why is there a different in a small section near the coast? Snow in Oakland?

No, the coastal mountains.

There is a decent mountain range on the coast south of San Francisco. Even has it's own observatory. [mthamilton.ucolick.org] It had ~12 inches of snow last year IIRC.

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in tha 510.