Modesto-area rain above average so far
Monday brought a modest addition to Modesto-area rainfall that is running ahead of average.
The storm also brought snow to middle elevations of the Sierra Nevada, even more important to San Joaquin Valley water users.
Monday’s rain stood at 0.26 inches as of 5 p.m., according to the Modesto Irrigation District’s downtown gauge. The total for the rainfall year starting July 1 was 2.34 inches, most of it coming Saturday and the previous Monday.
The historical average through November is 2.2 inches. The annual average is 12.15 inches.
The National Weather Service forecast decreasing clouds Tuesday, with a high of 60. Wednesday morning could bring patchy fog, but the rest of the week looks clear, with highs reaching 68 by Sunday.
The Dodge Ridge ski area reported 8 inches of snow over 24 hours, doubling its accumulation. The Pinecrest-area attraction has had two very short seasons in a row but could open in November if conditions allow.
Chains or snow tires were required on most mountain highways around Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border, with the forecast calling for up to 7 inches of snow along the Sierra Nevada mountain pass and up to 18 inches at the highest peaks through Monday night.
The Weather Service has declared that El Niño is underway, raising hope for an easing of the drought that has gripped California for four years. It estimates a 95 percent chance that this phenomenon, originating in warming waters in the Pacific Ocean, will continue through winter. It does not, however, always bring above-average rain and snow to the state.
The fall rain has done little to budge water storage. Don Pedro Reservoir on the Tuolumne River stood at 32 percent of capacity Monday, according to the California Department of Water Resources. It showed 11 percent in New Melones Reservoir on the Stanislaus River and 7 percent in McClure Reservoir on the Merced River.
Rain could return by Sunday, forecasters say.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Modesto-area rain above average so far."