Soil Moisture in California
Soil moisture across California, interpolated from the latest readings at each station and refreshed daily. Brown is drier than normal, teal is wetter than normal.
Across 24 monitoring stations in California, 7 are wetter than normal, 7 are about normal, and 10 are drier than normal. Last updated October 17, 2026. Each station is compared against its own moisture history for this date, not against other stations, so wetter or drier than normal means the same thing at every station.
How This Is Measured
Every reading here is measured by an in-ground sensor at USDA SCAN (Soil Climate Analysis Network) and NOAA USCRN (US Climate Reference Network) stations, at or near the 2-inch root-zone depth, not modeled. A raw moisture percentage is not comparable between two soils, so each station is compared against its own history for the date. That comparison, wetter or drier than this station normally is, is the honest signal. These stations belong to the 326 active USDA and NOAA in-ground monitoring stations Soil Temps reads; only those with a moisture sensor and at least two years of their own history are compared here.
Stations Measuring Soil Moisture in California (24)
| Station | Depth | Moisture | vs. Normal | Last Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cochora Ranch USDA SCAN | 2" | 5% | Wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Death Valley Jct USDA SCAN | 2" | 8% | Much wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Deep Springs USDA SCAN | 2" | 5% | Much drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Desert Center USDA SCAN | 2" | 10% | Wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Doe Ridge USDA SCAN | 2" | 1% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Eagle Lake USDA SCAN | 2" | 2% | Drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Essex USDA SCAN | 2" | 8% | Much wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Fallbrook 5 NE NOAA USCRN | 2" | 23% | Much wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Redding 12 WNW NOAA USCRN | 2" | 4% | Much drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Santa Barbara 11 W NOAA USCRN | 2" | 4% | Much drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Stovepipe Wells 1 SW NOAA USCRN | 2" | 2% | Drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Yosemite Village 12 W NOAA USCRN | 2" | 1% | Drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Chimney Creek USDA SCAN | 2" | 1% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Monocline Ridge USDA SCAN | 2" | 9% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Marble Creek USDA SCAN | 2" | 2% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Shadow Mtns USDA SCAN | 2" | 13% | Much wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Adobe USDA SCAN | 2" | 0% | Much drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Vallecitos USDA SCAN | 2" | 11% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Bodie Hills USDA SCAN | 2" | 1% | Much drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Stubblefield USDA SCAN | 2" | 4% | Much drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Rancheria USDA SCAN | 2" | 1% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Ford Dry Lake USDA SCAN | 2" | 9% | Much wetter than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
| French Gulch USDA SCAN | 2" | 3% | Normal for this time of year | Oct 17, 2026 |
| Merced 23 WSW NOAA USCRN | 2" | 2% | Drier than normal | Oct 17, 2026 |
Moisture is the volumetric water content at the sensor. It is not comparable between soils, which is why the “vs. normal” comparison against each station’s own history is the reading to trust. No comparison yet means that station does not yet have enough of its own history for a confident comparison.
Cities in California (314)
Open a city for its nearest station’s current soil moisture and temperature, planting windows, and lawn-care timing.
Soil Moisture FAQ for California
How wet is the soil in California right now?
Across 24 monitoring stations in California, 7 are wetter than normal, 7 are about normal, and 10 are drier than normal. Last updated October 17, 2026. Each station is compared against its own moisture history for the date, so the reading means the same thing everywhere.
Where does California soil moisture data come from?
Every value is measured by an in-ground sensor, not estimated from a weather model. Readings come from the USDA SCAN network and NOAA USCRN stations, at or near the 2-inch root-zone depth (some stations report at the nearest available depth), and are refreshed daily.
What does wetter or drier than normal mean?
For each station, the current reading is compared against that station's own readings around this date across several years, after leaving out frozen-soil days. A raw moisture percentage is not comparable between two different soils, so the comparison against a station's own history is what makes the reading meaningful.
See the national soil moisture map, the full California soil temperature directory (all depths), or the live national soil temperature map.