California breaks weeks of dry weather with downpour

(CN) — Dry January is over for California.

State officials late last month feared a dry spell afflicting the Golden State could linger. They watched as the snowpack dropped by 5% since late December and looked warily at a forecast that called for two weeks without precipitation.

Then Saturday arrived and, with it, the rain and snow.

“We’re starting to see snow levels drop to 3,000 feet and even below,” said Nathan Rick, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service, in a Tuesday interview with Courthouse News. “We’ve got just a very cold, strong storm system.”

The Sacramento Valley has received some 1 to 2 inches of rain since Saturday, with 2 to 3 inches falling in the Sierra Foothills.

In the Sierra Nevada, it’s much-needed snow that’s falling.

Blue Canyon, near 4,700 feet above sea level along Interstate 80, has seen 31 inches of snow. The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory, closer to 7,000 feet farther up the interstate, has gotten 37.5 inches of snow.  

“It. Is. Dumping,” the snow lab posted on Facebook Tuesday morning. “We had [28.1 inches] (71.5 cm) of snow in the last day and we're expecting another 2-3 feet by tomorrow night.”

The precipitation is a welcome respite from the dry, warmer days that have prevailed over the past several weeks. That’s because California gets about half its yearly rainfall between December and February. Seventy-five percent falls between November and March.

October and November rains prepped the soil. December started off dry, but two strong storms swept through late that month and early January. However, California has faced a dry spell since then, ending with Saturday’s rain.

And it’s not over yet.

According to Rick, a break in the storm could come Wednesday. Another system is behind it and expected to hit late Wednesday or Thursday. Another respite is expected Friday and into Saturday, though a third storm is forecast to then enter the state.

Snow totals over the three storm systems could climb to 7 or 8 feet, Rick said.

“We’ll see what the next couple of rounds over the next few days, see how that will pan out,” he added. “It’s looking like another big precipitation producer.”

While snow levels have already dropped to 3,000 feet, Rick said they soon could drop to as low as 1,000 feet. That would impact communities like Auburn — a city on Interstate 80 that rarely sees snow.

Rick discouraged mountain travel over the next several days, as did Caltrans. The latter, the state’s Department of Transportation, pointed to a Truckee California Highway Patrol Facebook post for emphasis.

“Should I stay or should I go?” the CHP outfit posted, referencing “The Clash” song. “You should probably stay…”

The state on Tuesday closed Interstate 80 at Donner Summit, around 7,200 feet, because of the snow, a regular occurrence during strong storms.

There’s danger off-road as well. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said it responded Tuesday morning to an avalanche in the Castle Peak area, near Truckee. A search-and-rescue team was looking for backcountry skiers who remained missing that afternoon.

California officials closely watch and monitor snowfall because the state’s snowpack is like a frozen reservoir. When it melts in the spring, runoff enters streams and rivers, ultimately helping fill reservoirs as the months become dry.

Despite weeks without rain, those reservoirs appear in good shape.

Last month, state officials said its major reservoirs were at 126% of average, pointing to recent rain and three consecutive years of a strong snowpack.

On Tuesday, Lake Oroville was at 128% of its historical average — 80% of its total capacity. Lake Shasta was at 113% of its historical average, or 78% of total capacity.