Folsom Lake water level at 112% of normal

After a slow start for foothill rain this season, the annual autumn decline of Folsom Lake has finally leveled off and the reservoir is beginning to fill again with wet weather forecast. Even with only light rain and a weak snowpack last month, Folsom Lake still begins 2024 at a healthy 112-percent of normal for this time of year, or 465,000 acre-feet of water stored. The average for this time of the season is roughly 414,900 acre-feet, officials said. After Folsom dropped to 410 feet above sea level Dec. 18, the lake stood at 412 feet as of Tuesday, Jan. 2, according to Lakesonline.com. One of the most misunderstood reservoirs in the state, Folsom Lake's primary purpose is flood control, and can theoretically fill up three times a year (if the dam stopped releasing), authorities said. The maximum storage – since Folsom Lake record-keeping began in 2003 – was in June 2005, when levels reached 970,375 acre-feet. The lowest recorded storage was in December 2015, when levels fell to 135,561 acre-feet. Winter came in like a lion the last two seasons compared to this year. Last year around this time, heavy December rain and snowfall made Folsom Lake skyrocket from 385 feet above sea level on Dec. 26 to 427 feet on Jan. 1, 2023. Because the lake was so high so early in the season last year, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation had to drastically release water last January to make room for the later snowmelt. November and December rains were even heavier in 2021, when the very low, drought-stricken lake rose from 370 feet on Oct. 23 to 418 feet by January 2022. Despite the huge head start, drought concerns emerged again in late winter 2022 after the snow basically shut off for three months from January through March. But late spring's snowfall actually brought the annual Tahoe region snowfall back up to 100 percent of normal for the 2021-22 season, according to the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snowlab at Donner Summit. Meanwhile, California reservoirs overall begin this season in a dramatically better position than the same time last year. The water storage level at nearby New Bullards Bar Reservoir in Yuba County is currently 627,000 acre-feet, or about 105 percent of normal. With a 996,000 acre-feet capacity, Bullards Bar is similar in size to Folsom Lake (970,000). Lake Oroville, which reached 100 percent full capacity last summer, is now reported at roughly 130 percent of average, according to the California Department of Water Resources. California's largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, also nearly reached its 4.5 million acre-feet capacity last May and now stands at 116 percent of normal, or 2.7 million acre-feet. Tahoe ski resorts are open for the season, but some just barely, due to light December snow. For example, nearby Soda Springs Ski Resort, the closest to the Sacramento Valley, was limited to the Lion's Head beginner "bunny hill" last week. Other resorts, like Diamond Peak at Incline Village, skillfully groomed "glacier" ski runs and more terrain with the help of artificial snowmaking operations. Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort on Highway 50 at Echo Summit is open for the season but was limited to four of 14 lifts and nine of 48 trails open New Year's Eve. Meanwhile, sunshine and a few clouds with highs in the 50s are forecast for the Mother Lode region Thursday and Friday, Jan 4-5. Rain should return to the foothills Saturday, with light rain predicted in the lower regions and up to 10 inches of snow at Sierra summits, according to weather.com. Modest showers are then predicted to pass through the Gold Country Tuesday, Jan. 9, according to weather.com and accuweather.com.