California’s unusually dry January has begun to cast a shadow over water supplies. State water managers on Friday, when they conduct California’s monthly snow survey, expect to find just two-thirds of average snowpack in the state’s high country, a shortfall that will hobble runoff into rivers and reservoirs over the coming year. While water experts note that two months of winter weather are still to come and additional snowfall could quickly bolster water supplies — a pair of atmospheric rivers is in the forecast — January is typically the wettest month of California’s limited wet season. Losing out on major storms during this period means a lot of catch-up.

Related water supply and weather news:

• KRCR (Redding, Calif.): California’s Lake Oroville sees rising water levels amid storm impact
• The Nevada Independent (Las Vegas): It’s the wettest time of the year, but much of Nevada remains dry
• The New York Times: Powerful storm system set to drench Northern California​
• SFGate: Atmospheric river signals radical shift in the weather for Tahoe this weekend
• Cal OES: News release: California readies for incoming winter storm: Governor Newsom pre-deploys resources to protect communities
• Los Angeles Times: Pair of atmospheric river storms headed to California
• The Mercury News (San Jose): Opinion: California water agency supply estimates should be more realistic
• Stocktonia News: Delta levee repaired ahead of rainy weekend