The Sierra snowpack is dropping fast: Experts say it's not as bad as it seems

The Sierra Nevada snowpack, the source of nearly one-third of California's water supply, is looking a little like a New Year's resolution: full of hope and promise at the beginning of January, but now struggling with a bothersome reality check. Starting on Christmas Eve, big storms dumped 7 to 8 feet of new snow across the Lake Tahoe area over a two-week period, ending a dry December and drenching the rest of the state with rain.