That was a nice serving of rain we just had, huh? And the drizzles will continue today and Wednesday, followed by a dry and balmy early spring weekend and the inevitable repetition by meteorologists, environmentalists, and others that we are still way below our annual rain averages and the drought is not over. Not even close.
We remain 10 inches below where we need to be as of today, so not as terrible as where we began in February, but still in bad shape. Therefore this is no time to be needlessly hosing your front steps, taking baths, or breaking out the Slip-n-Slide.
The site GreenOptimistic notes today that this is still the worst drought in 119 years, and Central Valley farmers are going to have it the worst as they struggle to save crops with what little water they've been allotted. And as you can see from the aerial image above of Folsom Lake, the reservoir outside Sacramento, water levels there hit their lowest levels since record-keeping began in mid-February, at about 1/3 of what they usually are at the reservoir's lowest annual level, typically in mid-December. Runoff from the Sierra Nevadas will fill it up a bit more. But yikes.
A high-pressure system is headed our way later this week, which is why the temps will hit the mid-sixties and which is why you'll be itching to be outdoors again. Try not to be too smug on Facebook as most of the rest of the nation remains teeth-chatteringly cold and buried in snow.
And keep letting that yellow mellow, everyone!