No ‘Miracle March’ for North Bay as storm exits and rain season wraps up

When the last of the storm clouds clear from the North Bay skies Sunday after almost a weeklong dousing, the rainy season for the region will likely be over, forecasters said.

The atmospheric river that blew into the Bay Area Tuesday from the Pacific will leave behind a not-quite-miracle March, with a total of more than 6 inches of rain at the Sonoma County Airport, including almost 1 inch overnight Wednesday and up to 4 inches in the coastal mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

The heavy dousing resulted in a number of flooded roads and downed trees early Thursday, but no major car accidents, the CHP said. A toppled oak tree crushed a car outside an apartment on West Steele Lane in Santa Rosa, while a large bay tree crashed into a vacant Monte Rio home. No injuries were reported.

Road crews mopped up a minor debris flow on Adobe Canyon Road in Kenwood, one of several areas of Sonoma County severely burned in last October’s wildfires.

By Thursday afternoon, the sun was shining once again, before more showers were expected to arrive today.

“Is this the last gasp of winter?” said Brian Garcia, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. “We all kind of concur here in the office that this is the last system we will probably see for this winter. We’ll have to wait until October, November, December.”

By Thursday, Santa Rosa had recorded 20.2 inches for the rainy season, just ?64 percent of normal, Garcia said.

The North Bay’s lackluster winter still topped rainfall totals across the Bay Area, Garcia said. Downtown ?San Francisco had less rain but was also at ?64 percent of normal for the season. Concord, in the drier East Bay, stood at ?74 percent of normal.

Following on the heels of an exceedingly dry February, a major storm the first week of March kicked off a steady beat of precipitation in the ensuing weeks, filling local reservoirs to near capacity. Lake Mendocino was up to 98 percent of capacity for this time of year, while Lake Sonoma was at 85 percent of capacity.

“No Miracle March, but any rainfall when we are behind normal for our rain season is always welcome,” Garcia said. “Regardless of how much rain has fallen this month ... it’s definitely beneficial and it will help.”

This winter has delivered enough of a punch to keep a region stretching from the North Coast to the southern end of Big Sur out of immediate drought warnings. But almost half of California is experiencing drought conditions, with 22 percent of the state in “severe” or “extreme” drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

By late Sunday, a high-pressure system building over the region is expected to impose dry days, with slightly above-normal temperatures, forecasters said.

“From here on out, the sun angles are getting higher, the days are getting longer and the temperatures are getting warmer,” Garcia said. “Here comes spring.”

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren.