Record-breaking April rains eliminated all drought and abnormal dryness from Southern California and up the Central Coast through Monterey County, but drought has worsened in northwestern California, the U.S. Drought Monitor said Thursday.
Because of recent heavy rainfall, the city of San Diego Saturday began releasing about 923 million gallons of water from Hodges Reservoir into the San Dieguito River, which may eventually lead to the ocean, city officials said.
The dam release began at about 11 a.m. Saturday and will continue for about seven days or until the reservoir elevation is near 295 feet, spokesperson José Ysea said.
For safety reasons, the California Division of Safety of Dams has determined that the water level at Hodges Reservoir should not exceed 295 feet, which is 20 feet below spillway elevation, Ysea said. This requires periodic water releases from Hodges Reservoir.
A Pacific storm that was expected to drop about 1.5 inches of rain along the San Diego County coastline has produced more than twice that much and will continue to wash across the region until Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The system arrived in force on Sunday and was supposed to be gone by Wednesday night or Thursday at the latest.
“But it’s been sitting and spitting over us all week”, said Miguel Miller, a weather service forecaster “The models have it moving out pretty quickly on Friday night.”
San Diego International Airport unexpectedly received about 1.50 inches of rain overnight. By 6 a.m. Friday, the airport’s seasonal rainfall total had hit 12.54 inches, more than three inches above average.
Snow and rain fell Monday on California as spring delivered the kind of stormy weather that was missing most of the winter.
A winter-like storm system will continue to bring rain, snow and cooler air to California into midweek.
While the month of February featured nearly bone-dry conditions across the Golden State, a series of late-season storm events are helping to minimize concerns for the dry season ahead.
Tow trucks and snow plows were in big demand across San Diego County early Friday as an overnight storm brought drenching rains, hail, snow and lightning to the region.
April showers may be more scarce than normal north of Point Conception in California, according to an outlook produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
April showers may be more scarce than normal north of Point Conception in California, according to an outlook produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This area where the probability of precipitation is below normal includes virtually all of Northern California and the crucial northern Sierra Nevada, where the state’s largest reservoirs are located.
While snow cover has increased thanks to a series of March storms, the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index stands at 56% of normal for the season. As of March 24, another 29.25 inches would be needed to reach the season normal of 54.52 inches.
The National Weather Service office in San Diego is forecasting periods of light rain along the coast and inland beginning Wednesday and continuing through Thursday night. The rain will be accompanied by gusty winds of 30 to 40 mph along the mountain and desert slopes and a low snow level on Wednesday night.
While California will not receive a soaking rain similar to what occurred at the beginning of the week, residents across the state can expect unsettled weather to stick around through Wednesday.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
