Cachuma Lake reached full capacity over the weekend after a winter storm brought more rain to the area.
After years of drought, several reservoirs in California reached concerningly low water levels in the summer of 2022, including Cachuma Lake in Santa Barbara. However, an abnormally wet winter last year alleviated much of the state's drought and replenished the lakes. A slew of moisture-laden storms have saturated the state this winter as well. On Sunday, water levels at Cachuma Lake were at 753.1 feet, slightly above capacity of 753 feet.
Levels have since fallen to 752.97 feet as of Thursday. At its lowest point in 2022, Cachuma Lake was at 692 feet.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation by email for comment.
A winter storm over the weekend helped supplement the lake's water levels. National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Mike Wofford told Newsweek that Cachuma Lake received .9 inches of rain from Thursday to Monday.
"There was some rain over the weekend that started late Thursday and continued on and off through the weekend," Wofford said.
Another storm brought an additional .4 inches of rain to the region on Wednesday.
According to a graphic by the California Department of Water Resources, Cachuma Lake is the only major reservoir in California that is at capacity as of Thursday. Although many of California's major reservoirs are much above their historical average, none of the others have reached capacity this year.
Cachuma Lake is currently 136 percent of its historical average.
Despite most other reservoirs not being at capacity, water levels still have significantly improved. Water officials have voluntarily released water from several California reservoirs in advance of expected rain—including at Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville—because the levels were too high for this time of year.
Since the water year began in October, Cachuma Lake has received 23.55 inches of rain, already surpassing its average annual rainfall of 19.83 inches.
Several other California cities also have surpassed their average annual rainfall, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside.
The excessive rain and snow in the Golden State this year has eliminated one of California's biggest problems, at least temporarily.
Earlier this week, AccuWeather published a report predicting that California won't experience any drought conditions at least into 2025.
However, meteorologists expect that El Niño will end in the summer and be followed by La Niña in the fall. The shift could influence the amount of time California remains free from drought.
El Niño and La Niña are two climate patterns that greatly influence the Earth's weather. El Niño usually means a wet winter for the Southwest, and it contributed to the high number of storms hitting California this year.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more
