The Bay Area has had an unusually dry January, with the lack of rain affecting the water supply in the area. The oncoming storms come after that.
Tom and Molly Nicol, who live in Healdsburg, went to Lake Sonoma to check the water levels before they rose once more due to the rain from the atmospheric river this past weekend.
“Yeah, when the water is up to the bottom of those trees over there, you know it’s full,” Tom chuckled. As you can see, it has somewhat decreased since our most recent storm in December. It’s full, although it’s down little.
With a significant portion of winter still to come, the lake still has space.
“That’s the problem. According to Jeffrey Mount of the PPIC Water Policy Center, “you need more storms.” “We require roughly five to seven significant storms. The majority of our precipitation is composed of it. The difference between a wet year and an average year can be as little as two storms.
The whole story of this winter has not yet been written, Mount warns.
“We can tell what kind of year it’s gonna be by the end of February,” he said, referring to the water year in California. “That’s all. After that, we have a general idea of what to expect.”
What is the current situation? The dry January has brought Northern California back to an ordinary winter after heavy rainfall in November and December. However, when considering reservoirs such as Lake Sonoma, the situation is better than usual.
Californians can attribute that to the current wet winter trend, which has the potential to become extremely unusual.
Mount stated, “Shasta and Oroville are well above their historical averages,” referring to the biggest reservoirs in the state. We’re approximately average, and at the moment, our reservoirs are in excellent condition. The only thing is that. even in the state’s arid regions.”
It is the ongoing benefit of having a successful year followed by a mediocre one. When you add in another mediocre year, that’s a respectable three-year span in terms of prior decades.
“Yeah, and in two ways,” said Mount. One is that we don’t experience consecutive wet years. In the system, it just doesn’t occur. Usually, there are dry years in between. 2017 was a very rainy year. 2019 was wet, and 2018 was dry. In other words, ’23 and ’24 were truly unique. And if we add an ordinary year to that, the best way to characterize it is that it is unparalleled in the twenty-first century. That hasn’t been observed by us.
Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.