Winter is off to a promising start for California water managers. A handful of storms in late fall and over the holidays primed the state’s mountains with a solid base of snow, with such high-elevation spots as the Truckee River basin, the Mammoth Lakes area and Lassen Volcanic National Park reporting 5 or more feet of snow on the ground. On Thursday, as state water managers trudged through powdery fields to conduct the first snow survey of the season, the cumulative snowpack across the Sierra, southern Cascades and Trinity mountains measured 108% of average for the date. Snowpack was greatest, by far, in the north with some areas in the south missing out on the early winter weather.

Other snowpack articles:

• Los Angeles Times: L.A.’s water supply looks good right now — but it might not last
• San Francisco Chronicle: California’s first snow survey of season shows solid start, though forecast is concerning
• The Mercury News: Sierra Nevada snowpack above average to start the year, a promising sign for state water supplies
• California Department of Water Resources news release: First snow survey of the season shows snowpack near average for California
• Jefferson Public Radio (Ashland, Ore.): Water levels rise substantially in reservoirs after extended rains
• Newsweek: Water supply in Southwest at risk as snowpack plummets
• Summit Daily (Frisco, Colo.): Summit currently has one of the highest snowpack medians in the state. Here’s what type of snow the area will see this week.