The calendar says July but skiing continues in California

KMSP - That’s right, it’s the middle of July and some folks are still snow skiing in northern California.  Mammoth Mountain is still open for business after a record breaking season with over 700 inches of snow falling from November through June.  But it wasn’t just the one ski resort that benefited from copious amounts of rain, it was the entire state, ending their 5 yearlong extreme drought that had some asking if it would ever rain again.  That question was certainly answered as the state was pummeled with storm after storm through the rainy season topping 700 inches of snow in the mountains and more than 100 inches of rain for some of the coastal areas.  Even the central valleys, where the majority of crops are grown in the state, saw more than 2 feet of rain, which is more than double the average.  Because of this, statewide reservoirs are at the highest levels in more than a decade as snowmelt has allowed them to continue to be near max levels, even though the rain subsided nearly 3 months ago.  Just look at the comparison above with July 2015 and July 2017; it’s night and day.  But caution is needed, especially those using the water that’s stored in those lakes with reckless abandonment, because ridiculously rainy seasons are pretty rare in that part of the country.  So this water needs to last as long as possible, that way the dryer years that are inevitably coming won’t have quite as much sting.  Conservation experts say that if reasonable measures are put in place, their current water situation could get them through another 5 year drought with ease, but many locals are pushing back against continued increase in water regulation.