SACRAMENTO, Calif. — UPDATE: 9:00 p.m. Thursday
The record stretch of dry weather for Northern California is about to come to an end.
February was the driest ever for Sacramento with no measurable rain. That hadn't happened since modern record keeping began in 1849.
This was part of a dry spell that began on January 26, 2020, and Friday will be the 40th day of no measurable rain, making it the fourth longest stretch of dry weather for Sacramento. The longest is 44 days back in 1976.
A winter storm is looking more likely to break this dry pattern. Current timing has rain arriving Saturday morning and continuing through the mid-afternoon. Sierra snow will continue through Sunday.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in place Saturday. Total snow accumulations will be anywhere from 4-10 inches. Snow level will lower from near 5,000 feet on Saturday to as low as 3,000 feet in some areas by Sunday morning. Expect travel delays and possible chain controls.
Rain totals will be around 0.10-0.30 inches in the valley. Lighter amounts in the Sacramento Valley near Sacramento, Roseville and Yuba City. Slightly higher totals for the Northern San Joaquin Valley near Stockton, Modesto and Lodi. The foothills could see about 0.50-1.00 inches by Sunday.
ORIGINAL: 5:45 p.m. Wednesday
California's water year began on October 1 but as of March 4, Sacramento has only seen a little more than six inches of rain.
That is more than seven inches below average.
Much of that deficit has to do with the lack of rainfall we received in January and having zero rainfall in February. In fact, it was the driest February on record since 1849.
So far, we've gone 37 days with no rainfall during what should be Northern California's rainy season. 75% of our annual precipitation is received during the months of December, January and February. So, the lack of rainfall is a concern.
Thankfully, there is a good chance rainfall will return this weekend! Our latest weather models are showing a chance of rainfall moving into the Sacramento Valley Saturday morning into Sunday morning.
RAIN TOTALS
Here's a look at projected weekend rainfall for a few cities :
Sacramento: .29 inch
Stockton: .26 inch
Roseville: .33 inch
Auburn: .41 inch
Placerville: .57 inch
SNOW FORECAST
Rainfall for the Central Valley normally translates to snowfall for the Sierra. Here's a look at some projected weekend snowfall totals:
Boreal: 3.1 inches
Squaw Valley: 3.9 inches
Sierra-at-Tahoe: 5.4 inches
Kirkwood: 5.4 inches
Bear Valley: 5.3 inches
The chance of snowfall should end by Monday morning.
Another chance of rainfall is back in the forecast by the middle of next week.
RAIN OR SHINE? GET THE LATEST FORECAST IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD BY DOWNLOADING THE ABC10 APP:
►Get the forecast in your email! Sign up now for ABC10's Daily Blend Newsletter
The last drought in California from 2012-16 was so catastrophic, some of the hardest-hit communities still haven’t recovered. Can the Golden State get ready in time to make it through the next one before even more towns go under? An ABC10 Originals investigation from Monica Woods.