Wettest January Since Drought Began

The first month of 2016 was the wettest January in Sonoma County in six years and saw the most rainfall for the period since the start of the current drought, a hopeful sign as the North Coast and the rest of the state struggle to recover from four years of scarce precipitation.

The National Weather Service measured 10.01 inches of rain at its gauge at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa during the month of January. That’s more than the previous four January months combined, since the drought began in 2012.