[Leftcoast]

That's why the "% of Average for Date" number is interesting.  It looks like the water managers are slowing down the reservoir release to keep a fair amount of water back (very normal).  They have months until the first heavy rainfall totals are expected and can drive that number to pretty much any number they want but are electing to instead keep an above average amount of water in storage.  They are balancing between fear of another drought and capacity for a second heavy water year.  

They've been burned by this before.  A typical nightmare scenario would be full reservoirs and a heavy November snow followed by an early December warm southern rain.  That would prompt a quick dump of water into the flood control system when it's least able to collect/moderate the runoff.

[Leftcoast]

That's why the "% of Average for Date" number is interesting.  It looks like the water managers are slowing down the reservoir release to keep a fair amount of water back (very normal).  They have months until the first heavy rainfall totals are expected and can drive that number to pretty much any number they want but are electing to instead keep an above average amount of water in storage.  They are balancing between fear of another drought and capacity for a second heavy water year.  

They've been burned by this before.  A typical nightmare scenario would be full reservoirs and a heavy November snow followed by an early December warm southern rain.  That would prompt a quick dump of water into the flood control system when it's least able to collect/moderate the runoff.