Between 2 and 6 inches of rain could fall on Sonoma County by the end of the weekend as two storms move across the region, but water officials say even that won't be enough to end the record-breaking drought.
Sonoma County normally gets about 32 inches of rain in a year, said Brad Sherwood, a spokesman for the Sonoma County Water Agency. But this rainy season, Santa Rosa has received just 2.75 inches, said Duane Dykema, a forecaster with the National Weather Srevice.
"It's exciting to see these forecasts come in, but the bottom line is we've still got a lot of ground to make up in rainfall totals," Sherwood commented.
Rain started falling early Wednesday evening and was expected to drop between a half-inch and an inch on the North Bay by Thursday morning, Dykema said. A second, wetter storm should move in Friday and deposit an additional 2 to 4 inches before it leaves the area Sunday. The storm could bring even more rain, up to 7 inches, to coastal mountain areas, he said.
The relatively warm system, arriving from the central Pacific, could cause localized flooding in low-lying urban areas, Dykema cautioned. Strong winds over the weekend could also knock loose debris and topple weak trees.
Rivers and streams are not expected to flood because they're so dry, Sherwood said.
"If anything, we're expecting to see increased flows in the river to help the fish migrate," he said. "That's very exciting. Let's hope that this is just the beginning of a phenomenal February."
(You can reach Staff Writer Jamie Hansen at 521-5205 or jamie.hansen@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter at @JamieHansen.)
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