Though the clear, sun-light filled skies Monday were preceded by a gusty, wet and snowy storm in parts of Northern California, the weekend’s rainfalls may have only been a “drop in the bucket” — albeit a “bigger drop” — when it comes combating to California’s drought.
Weekend rainfall numbers exceeded one inch in most Bay Area cities, with many clearing the two inch mark. Areas of San Jose received about two inches, while Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, a peak in the Diablo Range, was closed Sunday due to snow accumulation.
Lick Observatory will be closed today due to snow and ice making the road unsafe for travel. A few inches snow accumulation is predicted today. This morning’s snow photo by Elinor Gates shows the historic 36″ Crossley Telescope Dome. pic.twitter.com/HMHr7nU8H1
— Lick Observatory (@LickObservatory) December 11, 2022
Parts of the East Bay, including Danville, Dublin and San Ramon, received nearly three inches of rain over the weekend. Rainfall numbers vaulted past five inches in parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The high 72-hour totals were promising for the drought-ridden state.
Check out these updated rain totals from the past 24 hours. Most of us got a good soaking rain! Rain chances continue tonight before tapering off during the first half of Monday. #cawx pic.twitter.com/uzwrx8T9nb
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) December 12, 2022
“It’s a good start, but what we really have to remember when it comes to the drought is that we’re currently in a multi-year drought,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Gass. “It’s just really a drop in the bucket. Maybe a bigger drop, now that we’ve had a few decent rain systems, but there’s always that potential that with the La Niña patterns we still see a drier than typical winter.”
The rains were “significant,” according to one drought expert, but don’t expect the drought to suddenly end even with a wet winter season thus far.
“Just north of San Francisco, extending south all the way to San Diego, there was some pretty good rainfall totals.” said David Simeral, a Reno, Nev., based associate research scientist with the Western Regional Climate Center. “The highest totals were kind of in the Santa Cruz Mountain areas. … Some (places) in the Santa Cruz Mountains got up to eight inches. These are definitely significant rains that are going to put a dent in the drought. It’s not going to erase the drought, but certainly these are significant rains.”
Simeral authored the two most recent updates to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s California map, which details the parts of the state that are suffering from the most extreme drought conditions.
As of the most recent update on Dec. 6, most of the Bay Area, aside from the eastern-most parts of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties, as well as the northeastern tip of Santa Clara County, were given a “Severe Drought” distinction. Simeral says the recent storms in November and early December were helpful, but the real test could come in the beginning of 2023.
“Overall I’m cautiously optimistic,” Simeral said. “It’s looking really good around the state in terms of water year to date and snow pack numbers currently, but you know how things can go here. Last year we hit the January-February time frame, and things really dried out. Seven days out it’s looking like we’re going to dry out.”
The drought-related concerns come in part from forecasts for the remainder of the week. From Tuesday until Friday, NWS predictions show mostly sunny skies throughout the region, with exceptions for some patchy early morning fogs. Temperatures were expected to stay low, however, with highs in the low-to-mid 50s throughout the urban centers of the Bay Area and consistent lows in the mid 30s.
Over the past few days, the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Lake Tahoe area experienced a large dumping of snow that closed parts of interstate 80 and required chains on Donner Pass. As of Monday afternoon, most roads are reopened in the Lake Tahoe area, though many require snow tires or chains.
The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, which sits at 6,894 feet in elevation atop Donner Pass, received nearly 49 inches of snow Saturday and Sunday, good for 309% of the water average for Dec. 10-11 historically.
Plenty of #snow over the weekend!
24 hour: 11″ (28 cm)
48 hour: 48.8″ (124 cm)
Storm: 54.5″ (138.5 cm)
Two storm total: 59″ (151 cm)We have calm and dry conditions today, and it’s looking like we’ll stay dry for the foreseeable future.#CAwx #CAwater pic.twitter.com/UY3BZKWozd
— UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) December 12, 2022
Much like the Bay Area, temperatures were forecast to drop over the week ahead in Lake Tahoe, though snowfall was expected to be limited to small showers. The five-day forecast Monday showed highs in the high 30s and low 40s in South Lake Tahoe, with overnight lows falling to single digits, with 6 degrees as the forecast for Tuesday night.
Quieter weather with lighter winds and much colder temperatures are expected this week. High temperatures will struggle to get out of the 30s across western Nevada and the Sierra, with downright chilly overnight lows expected. pic.twitter.com/eplaZgj232
— NWS Reno (@NWSReno) December 11, 2022
Source: www.mercurynews.com