There’s a structure that stands near a snow survey point at Phillips Station, off Highway 50 near South Lake Tahoe. This time last year it was partially covered in snow. On Tuesday, snow levels reached nowhere near that high. “Obviously, our snowpack is still below average,” said Sean de Guzman with the Department of Water Resources. “We’re only at halfway of where we need to be at this time of year.” Tuesday was the second snow survey conducted by de Guzman’s department this year. … Current totals are dwarfed by the massive snowfall from last winter. … Rizzardo noted that it’s an El Niño year and storms are warmer, meaning they bring more rain as opposed to snow.

Related articles: 

• CA Department of Water Resources: Second snow survey of the year shows modest improvement for snowpack, conditions remain below average
• Reuters: What California’s atmospheric rivers means for water, snowpack levels
• Los Angeles Times: A warm winter has left California’s snowpack in a dismal state. Will the new storms help?
• Action News Now: Department of Water Resources second survey reflects a moderate increase in the snowpack
• The Associated Press: Water content of California’s snowpack is well below normal, but a new round of storms approaches