Dry weather extends drought in Petaluma, state

Rain predicted for late this week comes as good news with the statewide drought not nearly over, according to Empire water and weather experts.

There was almost no rain in Petaluma in January, with little more anticipated in February. The .06 inches of rainfall in January was an all-time low for Petaluma. The normal average rainfall for the month of January is 4.93 inches.

Petaluma received just slightly more rain in January than it averages annually from June through August. It was the lowest January rainfall total since 2013 when just 0.26 inches of rain fell in Petaluma.

Rain has been predicted, according to accuweather.com, in Petaluma with passing showers on Thursday, then rain forecast for Friday and Saturday. The much needed wet weather could extend into Sunday.

The longterm AccuWeather forecast shows no rain expected in Petaluma, after this weekend, until the final week of February.

Sonoma County Water Agency spokesperson Ann DuBay said while rains at the end of last year helped improve drought conditions, a dry new year – with very little rain in sight – is cause for legitimate concern. So far, DuBay pointed out, the weather in 2015 has been similar to the dry, warm winters that led up to the drought.

“Unfortunately the drought is not over even after late autumn rains and that atmospheric river in December,” DuBay said. “Local water supply still remains below average for this time.”

Lake Sonoma serves Petaluma, so water levels there of particular interest.

Lake Sonoma is currently at almost 78 percent capacity with 190,894 acre-feet of water and Lake Mendocino is at 83 percent capacity with 57,025 acre-feet.

Along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the water agency manages Lake Mendocino, northeast of Ukiah, and Lake Sonoma, just west of Healdsburg. Lake Mendocino is the key water source for the cities of Ukiah, Healdsburg, Cloverdale and Hopland, and for the water agency’s Russian River water supply system; Lake Sonoma, four times larger than Lake Mendocino, serves Sonoma Valley and other areas of the county. Lake Sonoma is currently at almost 78 percent capacity with 190,894 acre-feet of water and Lake Mendocino is at 83 percent capacity with 57,025 acre-feet.

To get out of drought, DuBay said, Sonoma County needs three things: above average rainfall, spring rains and water conservation. The timing of the rainfall is critical, she explained, because the later into the spring the reservoir fills up, the more water can be stored in the reservoir. The Corps, which manages the release of water from the reservoirs as mandated by Congress, has certain thresholds that it must uphold for rainfall capture until mid-to-late spring to mitigate flooding. “The releases vary but basically when we get into March, it is easier to hold onto rainfall,” DuBay said.

Without almost no rain anticipated in Petaluma this month, water conservation is critical. Irrigation systems should be turned off while plants are dormant in the winter season and people should not be irrigating, DuBay said.

The goal of the water agency and its affiliated groups, including the Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership, this year is to educate the community on its water supply and crucial conservation efforts, making them aware of the reservoir system and the locally generated supply. “Now it is a little harder for people to understand that while we did get a wonderful amount of rain in December, we are not safe yet,” DuBay said.

Even that forecast seems hopeful to some experts.

Accuweather meteorologist Brian Edwards told The Press Democrat last week that he sees “no real opportunity for rain” predicted in the Empire this week. He mentioned “iffy” prospects for rain next week, then explained that drier-than-normal weather will last through March.

For more information on the drought and to check reservoir levels and rainfall, go to scwa.ca.gov or VOMWD customers can follow the water district on Facebook at facebook.com/vomwd.

(Kendall Fields of the Sonoma Valley Index-Tribune also contributed to this report.)