An earlier diary (this morning) reported the disappointing news that the (San Francisco) Bay Area did not get any rain during January (usually a wet month for us). However, the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the Bay Area will get some rain later this week beginning Thursday. San Francisco should get one to three inches. Much more is needed to put a dent in the ongoing drought, however any news of more rain is welcomed news.
From SFGate:
A large plume of moisture is developing over the Pacific, which forecasters say could bring a series of storms through Northern California starting Thursday.
“There will be rain off and on through Monday,” said forecaster Jan Null of Golden Gate Weather Services. “This next week is much more encouraging than the last five.”
Much of the Bay Area saw a January with no rain, a first since record-keeping began during the Gold Rush. Temperatures pushed into the 70s on Saturday and Sunday, only exacerbating what’s shaping up to be a fourth year of statewide drought.
How much relief comes this week depends on where the Pacific storms make landfall, Null said. Points north of the Bay Area are likely to see the brunt of the system, with Santa Rosa forecast for at least four inches of rain through Monday. The San Francisco area will see one to three inches, depending on how far south the front tracks.
Snow levels in the Sierra are forecast to be 8,000 feet and higher. Warmer-than-average temperatures this year — and the past few — have reduced the state’s snowpack, which is vital for filling California’s biggest drinking-water reservoirs.