text: Northern California: Before and after 2017 storms January 18, 2014: January 2014 was one of the driest Januarys on record in recorded history. Even in winter, much of the vegetation in drought-stricken California appeared brown. Roughly two weeks after this photo was taken, the Sierra snowpack was measured on Feb. 1 at 9 percent of average, the lowest ever for that time of year. March 1, 2017: After a series of storms slam Northern California throughout January and February, the vegetation greens and the snowpack is at 185 percent of normal.