Vendors at the Ocean Beach farmers market are singing rain’s praises after a series of storms that have passed through San Diego.
“I love it, we love it,” exclaimed farmer Mario Pasqual.
“We definitely need the water. You know, we haven’t had a lot of rain,” fellow farmer Eduardo Valdivia said.
The year 2023 began with a historic bang — record precipitation and disastrous flooding throughout much of California. Parched watersheds soaked up the first rains, but soon became waterlogged. Runoff accelerated. Sodden hillsides collapsed. Rural levees burst and rivers spilled their banks. Towns went underwater. People died.
The series of storms that are moving through California are helping with the drought, but there’s still more work to be done. Despite the ongoing rain, experts suggest while it’s beneficial, the state and the county aren’t out of the woods quite yet.
The wet weather has led to a cautious celebration for Pam Meisner with the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyama College. The wave of atmospheric river storms, although leading to dangerous coastal flooding, has helped in her efforts to combat the statewide drought.
Storm-ravaged California scrambled to clean up and repair widespread damage on Wednesday as the lashing rain eased in many areas, although the north could see thunderstorms and another powerful weather front was expected to hit the state Friday.
The forecast said high winds and up to an inch of rain in San Diego Tuesday. The winds showed, but the rain? That was a different story.
How much water you got from this latest atmospheric-river charged storm depended on where you live.
For an example, as of noon Tuesday, San Onofre had received a little over an inch of rain, but San Diego International Airport received just three-tenths of an inch.
A series of storms bringing much needed rain to the San Diego region is also a reminder for residents and businesses to turn off irrigation systems when wet weather is predicted and for at least a week after significant rainfall.
While a series of atmospheric rivers is boosting Sierra snowpack and easing dry conditions statewide, there is still a long way to go to overcome three extremely dry years. Water-saving actions today can help conserve more of our most precious natural resource for when it’s needed most.
A storm out of the northeast Pacific Ocean drenched much of San Diego County before dawn on Wednesday.
Skies are expected to be dry at 5 p.m. when Oregon and North Carolina compete in the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park in downtown San Diego.
The National Weather Service in Seattle posted a graphic this week that contains a startling fact. Since July 1, Seattle, a city synonymous with rain, has been drier than San Diego, a city synonymous with clear, dry skies.
From July 1 to Oct. 9, San Diego recorded 0.65 inches of rain. Seattle, 1,250 miles to the north, had only 0.48 inches.
Sunny skies. Balmy temperatures. Walks on the beach. Umbrellas back in the closet.
After a soaking wet December that ended fire season, delivered more 15 feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada, and boosted hopes that California’s severe drought might be coming to and end, dry weather is back, in a big way.
Like a baseball player stuck in a hitting slump, it hasn’t rained significantly in the Bay Area for 14 days, since Jan. 4. Although reservoirs received a nice boost from big storms in December and late October, they still remain well below normal levels in most parts of the state.
A modest storm drenched parts of San Diego County late Monday night and early Tuesday, providing much-need rain in a region where seasonal precipitation totals have been falling behind, says the National Weather Service.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
