California is only halfway through the rain year, and in Redding’s case, the rainfall and snowfall amounts exceed what the area typically receives in total precipitation, making 2025 one of the wettest years since 2019.
As of March 31, the city recorded about 36 inches of rain and snow, about 8 inches more than its historic average for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service.
“If it didn’t rain another drop, you’d still end up about 4 inches above normal” for the entire year, said meteorologist Bill Rasch at the weather service’s Sacramento branch.
The rain year starts Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30.
Wet winter storms left waters in California’s largest reservoir, Lake Shasta, less than 16 feet from the top on Tuesday.
Precipitation in March pushed the lake level more than 18 feet, according to data from the California Department of Water Resources, boosting the top almost as high as Shasta Dam was after torrential rains in early February. It is expected the lake may be full by end of May.
On Tuesday, the lake contained 113% of the water it usually does on that date. At 90% full, with a few more light April showers in the forecast and runoff from rain and snow on the ground, the lake could fill by May, historic data shows.
All this is mostly good news for firefighters and businesses relying on boating and other recreation this summer, as the area heads out of the rainy season and into drier weather this month.
While wet seasons mean more vegetation growing that can dry out a burn, Rasch said, wet years usually mean calmer fire seasons. That’s because well-hydrated plants just don’t burn as fast.
Lake Shasta water levels go up
Lake Shasta waters went up approximately a foot per day since last Saturday, boosted by late March thunderstorms, according to state data.
Lake levels were 15.8 feet from the reservoir’s top by Tuesday: About half a foot below the lake’s highest point in 2025.
The lake was highest on Feb. 7, reaching 15.2 feet from the top. That happened three days after a wet storm broke Redding’s February rain record. Lake Shasta was filling so fast on Feb. 4, state water officials increased dam releases up to 28 times what they were by Feb. 8. By then, Lake Shasta was 90% full, with at least another month of rain in the forecast.
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How Redding’s 2025 water year compares to past years
Redding already got more precipitation (36 inches) in six months than it got during the last water year, according to weather service data.
The city received 32.15 inches of rain between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024. That’s slightly above the historic average. “Last year was about as normal as it gets,” Rasch said.
The year prior (2022-2023) was a wet one, with 41 inches of precipitation. Halfway through that year, Redding had logged 35 inches of precipitation, and inch less than now. It’s possible 2024-2025 could be even wetter than two years ago, according to Rasch.
Three years of normal to wet seasons helped the North State recover from effects of the three prior years of drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the last patches of unusually dry areas were wiped away this winter.
More: Parts of California severely dry while others are drought free for first time since 2019
April brings dryer weather, forecasters say
While it’s tricky to predict what spring skies will do a month in advance, long-term forecasts from AccuWeather and the weather service suggest Redding’s April 1 thunderstorms mark the end of heavy rain this spring.
The exception is a possible storm around April 21, and a few scattered April showers throughout the month.
While it’s shaping up to be a wet year overall, the rainy season was anything but consistent.
How much snow did Shasta County get this year?
Not all of Redding’s winter precipitation was rain. A cold winter storm on March 14 dropped snow on the Sacramento Valley floor as low as Redding.
As much as 4 inches of snow fell in parts of the Redding area since Oct. 1, 2024: Mostly in the north, and to the west near Whiskeytown, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Up to 1.5 feet of snow fell in the foothills near Shasta Lake in the same 6-month period.
Here are snow totals in Shasta County mountain towns:
For snow totals by zip code, see the Snowfall Tracker at data.redding.com/projects/snowfall-accumulation-tracker.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Lake Shasta rises 18 feet in March, as Redding area sees abundant rain this water year
Reporting by Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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