SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS - Just when you thought El Niño was going to stop working its magic on California's snowpack, it looks these past two weeks of storms have been just what the doctor ordered.

According to The Weather Channel, an "atmospheric river" has brought snowfall totals to several feet across the highest elevations of the Sierra Mountain range. The news source estimates that since March 5, Sugar Bowl Ski Resort has seen over 10 feet of snow at its summit, with a total of 125 inches of snow falling in those past 10 days.

Undoubtedly, this has made a substantial impact on the drought-stricken state’s snowpack. In the graphic below from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, you can see that current conditions are both wider and deeper than they were prior to March 4.

California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) quantifies snowpack gains using what is called “snow water equivalent,” meaning how much water the snowpack would contain if it was melted down in its entirety. The CDWR now estimates the snow water equivalent in the northern Sierra at 102 percent of the average to date for March 14. Up from 82 percent on March 4, this makes for an overall increase of 20 percent. In the central Sierra, snow water equivalent rose from 81 percent of average on March 4 to 94 percent of average as of March 14. The southern Sierra increased from 70 percent of average to 81 percent.

Roughly one-third of California's drinking water comes from the Sierra snowpack, which later melts in the spring to replenish the state's reservoirs. Keep watching AndNowUKnow for continued updates on the region’s snowpack.

California Department of Water Resources