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Gov. Jerry Brown has a grand stage and likely has some time to kill in his State of the State address Thursday. We’re here to help.

 

We urge the governor to spend some time talking about a topic that polls show the voters are interested in — drought and how to deal with it.

 

He can use current events as an illustration.

 

After a train of storms hit the north state this week, creeks and rivers flooded for the first time in years. It’s a long time since riparian habitats got a good flushing and it’s badly needed.

Recent heavy rain has proved a soggy reminder: Having the right tools on hand can help you and your home stay dry.

 

After four years of epic drought, we may have forgotten what real rain looks like – and where water goes during a major storm. We may have made changes in our home landscapes that affect the way rainwater flows near our house. We may not know (yet) where the roof may leak or where weakened tree limbs may fall.

After four years of drought, a return to more normal winter weather is improving the outlook for the coming year’s Nevada Irrigation District water supply.

 

General Manager Rem Scherzinger said seasonal precipitation had reached 104 percent of average as of Jan. 7 with an outlook for continued wet weather.

 

Precipitation at the district’s Bowman Reservoir was measured at 28.95 inches. Rainfall is measured each year July 1 through June 30. Bowman Reservoir is at 5,650 feet elevation in the Sierra.

Snow was still falling Tuesday night in the Sierra as storms moved across California, helping bring the state’s snowpack above normal for this time of year.

 

More than seven inches of snow fell in the higher elevations Tuesday.

 

The state’s water department says the snowpack in the central Sierra is at 115-percent of normal for this time of year.

 

State water managers say California’s snowpack needs to be at 150 percent of normal on April 1 to signal an end to drought.

A Tuesday-morning rainstorm flooded streets and small streams around the Bay Area as drivers took to the region’s roadways for the morning commute.

 

The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory and hazardous weather outlook from the North Bay south to Monterey, and east into the Central Valley.

 

The flood warning was in effect until 9:45 a.m., when Tuesday’s moderate-to-heavy rain will then turn to scattered showers before easing up in the afternoon.