Sun brings a halt to impressive March rainfall

March, the saying goes, comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb. But this year it mostly lingered like a soggy dog.

The blast of sunshine this week stopped rainfall reaching historic records. But March 2011 still goes down as the wettest since 1995 and the sixth rainiest in more than 100 years with 10.44 inches recorded in Santa Rosa, three times normal.

Small wonder that Tuesday's blue skies filled outside tables and benches with a lunchtime bloom of short sleeves, skirts and smiles.

"The sun changes everything," said Jerry Gilbert, out manning his hot dog stand at downtown's courthouse square for just the third time in about three weeks. "We don't even come out when it's raining."

The upside to all that bygone precipitation is the refilled water supply. In the Sierra, where most of California pulls its water, the snowpack Monday was 165 percent of average for April 1, the highest amount since 1995.

The abundance comes on the heels of four years of average or below average snowfall, which reached a nadir in 2007 when the state's snowpack was just 39 percent of normal.

This year's bounty is apparently enough for Gov. Jerry Brown to officially end the state's three-year drought status, a decision expected after snowpack measurements are updated Wednesday.

For local residents, Brown's decision is largely symbolic. The Sonoma County Water Agency gets its water from Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino, local reservoirs that are fed by local rainfall, not melting snow.

But the same storms that dumped snow in the Sierra have filled both those lakes beyond their official capacity for water storage. Brad Sherwood, spokesman for the water agency, cautioned there's never enough water to waste, but the area appears safe from the threat of mandatory water restrictions last implemented in 2009.

"We're very optimistic that we have an ample supply of water for the coming summer when we normally see highest demand," he said.

And just to help any lingering concerns about water shortages, the soggy dog may make a brief return. The National Weather Service is forecasting a chance of rain Friday and Saturday. April showers may bring...oh you know.