California’s climate is defined by extremes, and water year 2025 put that reality on full display. One month delivered warm, dry conditions that can typically stress water supplies; the next brought a surge of winter storms, only for January to swing dry again. These whiplash shifts aren’t outliers
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Science isn’t just part of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) work — it drives it. From forecasting storms to managing reservoirs and protecting ecosystems, DWR relies on rigorous science and strong partnerships to guide decisions and prepare for an increasingly uncertain water future. Science is the critical foundation for all that ...
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Early season heat is rapidly wiping out California’s giant, frozen reservoir – the Sierra Nevada snowpack. Snow is melting fast, even at the highest elevations. In the last 12 days alone, the statewide snowpack has begun melting, on average, 1 percent per day, according to data taken from a network of snow pillows -- sensors that weigh overlying sn ...
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For California water managers, the painfully sunny skies of March 2026 bear striking resemblance to March 2021.
DWR is leading the Georgiana Slough Effectiveness Study in partnership with UC Davis.