CALIFORNIA - California enjoyed some much needed rainfall this week, as the usual fall weather systems delivered a healthy dose of water to land across the state.
Although the week's weather will not have an impact on the drought as a whole, it has been encouraging news that the Sierra is already cold enough for snow to fall. According to the SF Gate, snow is currently expected between elevations of 5,500 feet and 7,000 feet. Temperatures on the mountain hit a low of 26 degrees on Sunday, and temperatures of 29 and 28 degrees are expected on Monday and Tuesday respectively. These snows are vital to rebuilding California's snowpack which has been severly diniminshed over the course of the drought. The weekend's snow on its own will not make a significant impact, but we can hope that it is the sign of better things to come from the approaching winter.
The industry hopes that the occurrence of a winter El Niño will also help to re-establish the California snowpack. Provided that cold weather on the mountaintop coincides with the rains El Nino could bring to California, it could give a much needed boost to snowfall on the mountain. While El Niño is expected to be weak this year if it does materilize, a probability which weather forcasters currently peg at 58%, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it could still do some good for California's agricultural community.
Regarding rainfall, the Bay Area was soaked in more than an inch of water on Wednesday. A second weather system brought more rain on Thursday and a third continued the trend on Friday. The SF Gate did note that while none of these systems are particularly strong, taken together they can add up. Rainfall was also experienced in the rest of California, including LA County, Sonoma County and Sacramento County.
“Any rain is not bad news,” said National Weather Service Forecaster Steve Anderson.
We can only hope that this latest California weather is the sign of more things to come. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more weather updates.
