Wet Weather Helps Sierra Snow Totals

Mother Nature got off to a running start this season with much above-normal rain and snow for Northern California.  By January 1, the snowpack in the Sierra was north of 160 percent of normal, and parts of Sonoma County had already accumulated over 200 percent of normal rainfall.  Santa Rosa and three days of heavy rain produced 12,67 inches (an all-time record). The dividing line for near-normal to below-normal rainfall runs along the I-80 corridor. Similar to January 2015, this January has been very dry and has come as the third driest since records began. Except for one day of rain on January 3, Santa Rosa stands at 143 percent of normal. Hayward is at 88 percent, while just down the road, downtown San Jose has dropped to a desert-like 43 percent of normal with just under 3 inches since October 1.  However, with the rain likely on and off through midweek, places like Livermore, with only 55 percent of the yearly average rain, could see up to 2 inches of much-needed rainfall by the middle of the first week in February. For the Sierras, snowfall in the Northern Sierra at Donner Summit is around 65 percent normal. It's possible that the ski resorts around Lake Tahoe could double the snow on the ground before the series of storms ends next week. It might be some of the best skiing and boarding of the winter for the long Presidents Day weekend.  More extended-range models for the first part of February indicate colder than usual with low snow levels.