Inclement weather returned to the Hill last week. Fortunately, Saturday and Sunday were dry.
On Friday, some drizzling rain fell throughout the Hill, but on Monday, showers returned for the day and continued into Tuesday.
Total rain, from Friday, Feb. 3, through Tuesday morning, Feb. 7, was 0.9 inches at the U.S. Forest Service’s Keenwild Ranger Station. The Pine Cove site recorded another inch during the period. The Fern Valley site received 1.1 inches and the Idyllwild Fire Station recorded 0.6 inches.
Since the beginning of the rain year (July 1), more than 29 inches of rain has fallen in Pine Cove and nearly 18.2 inches at Keenwild. The long-term, average rainfall from July 1 through the end of February has been 18.7 inches and through June 30, the average total rainfall has been 25.7 inches.
The future does not look so wet, but drought predictions and status are changing. The National Weather Service has reduced the portion of the state designated as in extreme or severe drought.
According to Adam Allgood, a forecaster for the NWS, “As of the January 26 …, only 2.16 percent of California’s land area was considered to be in extreme drought, compared to 42.8 percent at the start of the water year, and 63.96 percent a year ago.”
According to the Predictive Services unit at Cal Fire’s South Operations site, “… overall, precipitation from February through June looks to be close to normal.
Precipitation may be significantly less than what was experienced in December and January, but a repeat of the hot and dry late winters of recent years is not anticipated at this time.
