Storm systems brought rain to Sonoma County and snow to Sierra Nevada

February was on track to be tied for Santa Rosa’s second driest February since 1903 when the National Weather Service started keeping area records.

Then it rained Wednesday, the last day of the month, and dropped .11 inches of precipitation.

Now, February 2018 becomes the third driest on record with .3 inches.

The good news is that 1.25 inches were recorded by 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, starting March off with a healthy soaking. Another quarter- to a half-inch of rain is expected in spotty showers and possible thunderstorms through Saturday.

February 1953 remains the driest with just .08 inches. February 1971 is the second driest February on the books, with .19 inches of rain.

March could bring relief with higher-than-average precipitation expected, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Canepa. Santa Rosa typically receives 4.53 inches of rain for the month.

Since Oct. 1, Santa Rosa has received 15.06 inches of precipitation, barely more than half the average rainfall of ?27.2 inches, Canepa said. Santa Rosa had more than 52 inches of rain by the beginning of March last year.

“We probably won’t reach the normal rainfall for the water year but Santa Rosa doesn’t have a drought outlook,” Canepa said.

Thursday’s rain didn’t lead to an uptick in accidents or significantly disrupt traffic flows on Sonoma County roadways, said Officer Jon Sloat, a CHP spokesman.

The recent storm system also brought needed snow to the Sierra Nevada, where as of Thursday the snowpack was only 24 percent of normal, according to California’s Department of Water Resources.

A blizzard warning was also issued for the Lake Tahoe area into Friday morning where 1 to 2 feet of snow is expected through Saturday below 7,000 feet of elevation, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service also issued a winter storm warning for Lake Tahoe until 10 a.m. Saturday.

You can reach Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at 707-521-5203 or nick.rahaim@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nrahaim.