San Francisco Among Places in the State That Got No Rain During What Is Normally the Wettest Month
San Francisco received no measurable January rain for the first time since record-keeping began during the 1849 Gold Rush, according to the National Weather Service. In January 2014, San Francisco recorded just six hundredths of an inch of rain in a month when it averages 4.5 inches, forecasters said.
The dry weather comes after the Golden State was drenched by unusually heavy storms during December, raising hopes the drought was finally easing.
That prompted the California Department of Water Resources to increased its expected water deliveries to most customers of the State Water Project in 2015 from 10% of their requested amounts to 15%. Farmers have been especially hard hit by the cutbacks, which in some cases have meant not getting any water shipments.
But a ridge of high pressure that settled over the state near Christmas essentially hasn't budged since, pushing Pacific storms farther north. A similar high-pressure ridge also shielded California from storms last year. "Something is happening in the atmosphere that is causing the high pressure to lock in position in the middle of winter," said Duane Dykema, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Monterey, Calif.
ENLARGE Ski resorts have suffered in January, though they got enough snow to enjoy big crowds during the December holiday season.
Shrinking reservoirs also have been partially refilled. California's largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, has risen from 39% of its historical average to 65%. And state surveys show Californians are largely heeding a call by Gov. Jerry Brown last year for conservation measures.
Unusually warm temperatures since the end of December have helped melt much of the snow in the Sierra Nevada, said Doug Carlson, spokesman for the Department of Water Resources. The water equivalent in the statewide snowpack was 25% of its historical average on Jan. 29, down from 50% on Dec. 30.
State and local water officials are preparing for the worst, even as they hold out hope for storms before the rainy season ends this spring. Long-term climate models call for a better than average chance of above-normal precipitation in Southern California from February to April, and an even chance in the rest of the state. Rains are forecast to return to many parts of the state next weekend.
Drought restrictions, which include bans on outdoor watering in some communities, are likely to remain in place for some time, since water officials say the state would have to receive 150% of its annual average rainfall to begin exiting drought conditions.
"I wake up every morning and do a rain dance," said Jason Burnett, mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
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