California is staring down a round of storms that will bring intermittent rain and snow across the state over the next 10 days, and, with the wet season more than two-thirds over, state water managers are watching the forecast closely, hoping these systems will deliver enough precipitation to offset a deficit in some places that have faced dangerously low levels of precipitation this winter. … One closely watched metric is the overall snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, a crucial source of water for the state, and it could potentially end the season at normal or above-normal level for the third year in a row if there is a string of monster storms in March. The last time that happened was during the winters of 1998 to 2000, and before that from 1978 to 1980.

Other snowpack and weather news across the West:

• Los Angeles Times: Storm unleashes rain, mountain snow across Southern California. A stronger system may follow soon
• San Diego Union Tribune: First of 3 storms begins dropping much-needed rain across San Diego County
• The Inertia: California’s snowpack sits at 85% of average in final stretch of winter
• San Francisco Chronicle: Unsettled Bay Area weather continues with a chance of thunderstorms, small hail
• 9 News (Denver, Colo.): Snowstorms paint ‘bull’s-eye’ on Denver Water collection area