California’s Biggest Reservoir Has Best January Start in at Least 15 Years
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California’s Lake Shasta had its best January start in at least 15 years, according to water levels recorded there last week.
Newsweek reached out by email to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the lake, for comment.
Why It Matters
Lake Shasta’s water levels saw a monthslong decline that began in June 2024, which is typical of the season. Multiple atmospheric rivers supplemented the Northern California lake in late November and December, contributing to a steep jump in water levels that had the lake starting the year strong on January 1.
In the summer of 2022, many California reservoirs reached very low levels amid a yearslong drought. Water levels recovered significantly that winter and the following years. Lake Shasta, the state’s largest reservoir, nearly reached capacity in the late spring of 2023 and 2024.
What To Know
As of Tuesday, Lake Shasta water levels were at 1,030.63 feet. Full capacity occurs when water levels reach 1,067 feet in elevation.
According to water level records available online, it’s the strongest start to the year Lake Shasta has had in at least 15 years. Last year, Lake Shasta started the year with a water level elevation of 1,013 feet. In 2023, the water levels on January 1 were 928 feet.
A stock photo of Lake Shasta at full capacity. California’s biggest reservoir has had its strongest start to January in at least 15 years. A stock photo of Lake Shasta at full capacity. California’s biggest reservoir has had its strongest start to January in at least 15 years. Kirpal Kooner/Getty
Within the past five years, the closest water levels have been to the current level was in 2020, when they were at nearly 1,022 feet.
Within the past 15 years, Lake Shasta had a similarly strong start in 2011, when water levels were at 1,028.1 feet, only half a foot below their 2025 start.
Typically, Lake Shasta water level increases begin in the winter and continue through the spring as snowpack melts and supplements the water levels. Snowpack, or the amount of snow that accumulates and then melts seasonally, is significant to the health of California reservoirs.
As of last week, when the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted the first snow survey of the season, snowpack in the northern Sierra Nevada was 150 percent of normal for this time of year. The central Sierra Nevada snowpack was 91 percent of normal, and the southern Sierra Nevada, which didn’t benefit from the back-to-back atmospheric rivers that hit the northern part of the state last month, is at only 67 percent of normal.
What People Are Saying
The DWR said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) about the first California snow survey of the season: “Results showed a boost in the snowpack from November and December storms, but California needs to see consistent storms going forward to keep the snowpack strong.”
The post added: “In both 2013 and 2022, California started with a strong snowpack that was quickly erased after dry conditions the rest of winter. So far this season, Southern California has not benefited from the storms, and snowpack conditions in the lower half of the state are below average. Anything can happen between now and the critical April snow survey, and we need to be prepared no matter what happens.”
What Happens Next
More atmospheric rivers are likely throughout the rest of the winter. AccuWeather previously predicted that the storms’ track would shift to affect Southern California during January.
However, as of Tuesday, there are no winter storm–related warnings in place anywhere in California.
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