California snowpack now more than 200 percent above normal

The powerful winter storm is helping to build up the crucial snowpack in the Sierra Nevada.

UC Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Lab tweeted out video of the snowy conditions and said the area has received 8.5 inches of snow in the last 24 hours.

In the Central and Southern Sierra regions, the snowpack is now more than 200 percent above normal for this date and 76% of the April 1 average, which is usually the peak, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

The snowpack is vital to the state's water supply and helps to replenish reservoirs in advance of the dry summer and fall months.

The storms won't be enough to officially end the state's ongoing drought, now entering its fourth year, but they have helped. Not including the latest deluge, recent storms moved parts of the state out of the "exceptional drought" category in the U.S. Drought Monitor. Most of the state, though, remains in the extreme or severe drought categories.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.