After more than two months, rain falls in Modesto area. Will we get more?
The good news: The Modesto area could get enough rain this weekend to allow residents to postpone outdoor watering a few days. The bad news: It won’t ease the drought much.
The National Weather Service forecast up to half an inch of rain between Friday, March 19, and Sunday. It would be the first substantial storm since late December.
A smaller storm Tuesday brought 0.07 inches, the Modesto Irrigation District reported.
The season started off well with late-October storms, followed by even more moisture in December. The snowpack reached about 160% of average as of Dec. 31 in the central Sierra Nevada, the main source for MID and nearby suppliers.
The rest of winter has been virtually dry. The snowpack has shrunk to 58% of average as of Tuesday, the California Department of Water Resources reported. Only two weeks remain in the main part of the storm season, November through March.
MID is delivering just 60% of the usual Tuolumne River water as a third straight dry year takes hold. The neighboring Turlock Irrigation District has not yet set a level, but it likely will be reduced, too.
The Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts are not cutting back but nonetheless urge farmers to be careful. The allotment is zero once again for many West Side districts from the federal Central Valley Project. Four suppliers with senior rights are getting 75%.
The Weather Service forecasts partly cloudy conditions Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a mostly sunny Friday and rain Saturday. A few inches of snow are expected in the upper Sierra. It got several feet at a time during some of the October-December storms.
