A winter season outlook update shows a higher probability of above-normal temperature and precipitation for December, January and February, the National Weather Service said.
Not every day will be affected the same; the outlook deals in averages.
Brian Garcia, a meteorologist for the weather service's Bay Area forecast office in Monterey, said: "The odds slant toward being above normal. We'll really have to see how it plays out on the finer time scale."
The outlook divides the period into overlapping three-month chunks. Above-normal precipitation is expected for December, January and February, and for January, February and March.
But precipitation probabilities change to an equal chance of above normal, near normal and below normal for February, March and April. Above-normal temperature is forecast through April. More rain could have an impact whether the state avoids another drought.
Meanwhile, CalMatters reports the state's reservoirs are already flush with water.
That’s a big departure from a year ago: The state's major reservoirs -- which store water collected mostly from rivers in the northern portion of the state -- are in good shape, with levels at 124 percent of average.
In late 2022, bathtub rings of dry earth lined lakes that had collectively dipped to about two-thirds of average -- until heavy winter storms in January filled many of them almost to the brim.