The National Weather Service says 1.3 inches of rain fell in the city, breaking the record for April 1.
Drew Peterson is a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Sacramento. He says the rain was also significant for another reason:
"1.3 inches is our average April precipitation, so we got our entire monthly precipitation in the course of one day."
Peterson says over the past week or so, three separate storms dumped a total of 2.4 inches of rain on the Sacramento area.
During the same time period, between six and eight feet of snow fell in the Sierra.
The Sierra as seen early Wednesday from a commercial airliner. Between six- and eight-feet of snow fell in recent storms. The recent storms bring the Sierra Nevada from one of the lowest snowpacks on record, according to Dr. Kelly Redmond, Desert Research Institute deputy director and regional climatologist. "We’re still in the bottom 5 for the last 100 years," he says. Al Gibes / Capital Public Radio
Peterson says Folsom Lake is now about 71 percent of where it would normally be. In early February, it was only a quarter of normal.
Folsom Lake, as seen early Wednesday from a commercial airliner, is now at 71 percent of seasonal normal following the recent rainfall. Al Gibes / Capital Public Radio
Despite the rain, Patterson says the Sacramento area is still only about half of normal for the water year.
January 28, 2022Last year, California saw everything from intense drought to torrential rain. Researchers and water agencies say that the future of the state’s drought depends on adapting to these shifts.
November 11, 2021As the drought dries up California’s wetlands, traveling birds such as ducks, geese and eagles are struggling to survive and breed. “This drought is bad. The odds are against us,” a state expert said.
June 23, 2021Drought resilience depends on location but also extraordinary engineering — determining which California places are running out of water this year and which remain in good shape.
June 17, 2021About 4,300 users were issued notices to halt diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
June 5, 2021Experts say the current drought is hotter and drier than previous ones, meaning water is evaporating faster.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today
