A snowy December that kept Sierra ski resorts busy also has California's water managers hopeful.
The first official measurement of the Sierra Nevada snow pack on Wednesday showed four-feet of accumulation, above normal for this time of year. Manual and electronic readings showed the water content of the snow at Echo Summit in eastern El Dorado County at 134 percent of average.
Frank Gehrke of the Department of Water Resources says that this time last year the snow pack in the area was just over one-tenth of an inch. Most Californians depend on Sierra snow melt for drinking water.
This year's bounty is the result of a series of tropical storms that flowed over the region last month.
But weather forecasters are warning that it may not last. Early January is looking dry. (AP)
