Track California Water Conditions

Welcome to California Water Watch! This site offers the most current local and statewide water conditions down to your region and even your neighborhood. This information is updated dynamically from a variety of data sources. Everyone is welcome to research, learn, and stay informed about California's most precious resource -- water.

Snow data will begin to update in the coming weeks as the statewide snow sensor network begins transmitting information

California Water Watch offers the most current local and statewide water conditions down to your region and even your neighborhood.

Castaic Lake Levels

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Bidwell Bar Bridge
An aerial view in the morning of fog partially covering the San Joaquin River and Webb Tract Island (Left) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, located in San Joaquin County, California. Photo taken October 30, 2025.

Tracking Precipitation Status

Water Year to Date Precipitation Percentage of Average (%) - 11/25/2025

Precipitation data shown here are Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) data acquired via a licensing agreement with Oregon State University. For more information on this dataset see: https://prism.oregonstate.edu/

Tracking Current Weather Conditions

Climate change has fundamentally altered our state’s hydrologic system – intensifying severe weather as we swing from extreme dry to extreme wet situations. The outlook for water year 2026 may very well be a variation of water year 2025. With La Niña still influencing California’s climate, it could be a highly variable year with many opportunities for extreme weather events. It is quite possible California will have a drier than average winter in the southern part of the state and a near or above average winter in the north. One set of strong storms or atmospheric rivers can make the difference between wet and dry. It’s important to carefully manage reservoirs during the uncertainty of future weather patterns and the possibility of extreme wet or dry conditions.

Extensive coordination with State and Federal agencies is being done, to both ensure reservoirs have flood space in case of another flood year and that as much water as possible will be stored in case of drought conditions.

We will continue to work closely with the research community through partnerships with Scripps/NOAA/others to understand climate forces and continually improve our forecasting.

Hydrology Update

Do we have enough water stored?

In drier seasons, we rely on other sources of water. These include reservoirs and melted snowpack. But climate change is causing extreme weather and changing the amount of rain and snow we get, impacting how we are able to capture and distribute water.

Californians must adapt to this new normal and adopt conservation as a way of life to make the most out of our limited water supplies across the state.

Major reservoir levels

Reservoirs get us through the dry months

Summary of current level

of average levels
Total capacity
Average level historically
Current level

Updated daily

More about reservoirs

Statewide snowpack levels

Snow melt feeds our reservoirs & rivers

of average peak snowpack
Average peak snow water equivalent
from 1991-2020
Current snow water equivalent

Updated daily

More about snowpack levels

What about our groundwater supply?

Groundwater is a vital resource in California and accounts for almost 60 percent of our State's water supply in drought years.

Multiple dry and drought years over recent decades have put a strain on California's groundwater resources. The data on the right show the number of monitoring wells that have water levels below average and the number of well outages across the state voluntarily reported to DWR.  Visit California Groundwater Live for more real-time groundwater information.

Monitoring Wells
Below Normal Level

Dry Wells Reported - Water Year to Date
 

Precipitation Snowpack Reservoirs Groundwater Temperature Streamflow Soil Moisture Vegetation

Precipitation as of 11/25/2025*

California’s annual precipitation can vary greatly from year to year and region to region. The map of California shows how this water year’s precipitation compares to what has been observed historically. The chart below provides a summary of California’s current statewide precipitation statistics.

Precipitation Statistics (period of record: 1981-current)
Statewide as of  11/25/2025
Water Year to Date:
% of Average:
Precipitation % of average for full water year through September 30th:

Historical Record to Date:
Max:
Mean:
Min:
California’s new Water Year began Oct. 1, 2025 and ends Sept. 30, 2026. Graphics on this site use data for WY 2025-26. To view WY 2024-25 data, visit the yearly summary page.
*Updated daily at 1 pm from the prior day, as data is made available.
Precipitation Snowpack Reservoirs Groundwater Temperature Streamflow Soil Moisture Vegetation

Precipitation as of 11/25/2025

California’s annual precipitation can vary greatly from year to year and region to region. The map of California shows how this water year’s precipitation compares to what has been observed historically. The chart below provides a summary of California’s current statewide precipitation statistics.

Precipitation Statistics (period of record: 1981-current)
Statewide as of  11/25/2025
Water Year to Date:
% of Average:
Precipitation % of average for full water year through September 30th:

Historical Record to Date:
Max:
Mean:
Min:

Snowpack as of 11/26/2025

The map of California shows how snowpack conditions compare to the historical averages at various locations across the state. The plot below aggregates this same data to show how the cumulative statewide snowpack is tracking relative to the historical average. This allows us to see how well the snowpack is doing to date, as well as how much snow may still be needed to reach the average peak snowpack (i.e., April 1st snowpack)

Percent of normal to date:
Percent of April 1st average:

Reservoirs as of 11/26/2025

The map of California shows how reservoir conditions compare to their historical averages for this month. The metrics below are an estimate of the current total statewide reservoir storage.

Estimated Total Statewide Reservoir Storage: 13.6 MAF*
Percent of Historical Average: 68%

*Million Acre Feet (MAF). On average, California receives about 200 million acre-feet of water per year in the form of rain and snow. One acre-foot of water is enough to serve two families of four for a year.


Groundwater as of

The map of California shows groundwater level conditions across the state by comparing the most recent measurements at wells to the previous 10 years of measurements for the wells. Most wells are only measured twice a year, in the spring and fall. Few wells have monthly data.

Temperature as of 11/25/2025

Temperature plays a large role in California’s annual water conditions. Higher than normal temperatures present several challenges to managing the state’s water supply. The map of California shows how this year’s temperatures compare to what has been observed historically.

Streamflow as of 11/26/2025

The map of California shows how real-time streamflow at gaged locations compares to historical streamflow ranges for the same day of the year.

Soil Moisture as of 11/25/2025

This map shows relative values of estimated soil moisture at a depth of 100 cm, as calculated from satellite-based observations.

Vegetation Conditions as of 11/25/2025

The map of California depicts vegetation conditions across the state based on the Evaporative Stress Index (ESI). ESI provides insight on how stressed vegetation is due to a lack of water, which is expressed as the statistical variation from average conditions.


More Information

California Drought Updates Understanding Our Drought
History of Drought in CA Save Our Water
Federal Drought Monitor How Water is Used in California