@Inchiquin - thanks for input, very interesting - if I remember correctly, the blossom period for 2015 was not that bad either for California, why I believe the decline in yield per acre (from roughly 2500kg to 2000kg) can primarily be contributed to lack of water/irrigation.
Please see below quote and link to articles, which I found quite interesting - looks like this year's snowpack will clearly be better than last year, but potentially still below historic average, especially if the current dry and hot period continues with little snowfall in March.
The situation in Northern California might be slightly improved, but Central and South still look very dry.
"Reservoir storage generally remains below-average and very significant groundwater shortages continue, according to the
report released Feb. 11. "There are also serious problems with tree mortality. The
USDA estimates 29 million trees are already dead, and a Stanford group estimates another 29 million trees are showing significant stress. Given these various factors, it will take quite a while for improvements in the short-term to chip away at large, multi-year precipitation deficits."
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/02/18/considerable-long-term-drought-in-california/
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/02/11/california-drought-improvement-will-take-quite-a-while/
