What has been describes as a mammoth winter storm fed by a river of atmospheric moisture served up several doses of a tropical deluge into Northern and Central California from November 27 to December 2. From a line north of Modesto in the Valley and SLO on the Coast – precipitation totals were impressive particularly in foothill and mountain areas.
South of that line it was more spotty with Valley floor cities like Visalia and Fresno receiving around an inch.
Hardest hit was Northern California where the state’s extensive hydraulic system originates and flows south to supply 23 million people,billions of dollars worth of farms and a thirsty ecosystem.
The headwater of this Central Valley Project is at Shasta reservoir that received nearly 15 inches of rain from December 27 through December 2. Mt Shasta snowfall may have set a record ( the numbers are not in yet). All this will flow south to supply next summer’s irrigation,drinking and habitat water.
The NWS Hanford says the 3-day rainfall totals through Dec 2 for Friant Dam reached 1.80 in,nearly 6 in at Mariposa, 5.4 in at North Fork, 3.62 in at Trimmer near Pine Flat, 8.6 in at Wawona in Yosemite, 6.7 in at Kaiser Point above Huntington,5.3 in at Tamarack and 3.68 in at Huntington Lake.
On the Kaweah, 3.37in were received at Lake Kaweah, Hockett Meadow got 3.50 in and a five day total at Farewell Gap shows 4 in of water content. South of there. it was very light with a 3-day total at Quaking Aspen shows they got just 0.17
On the Coast the Santa Lucia mountain range was in the eye of the storm receiving 21 in of rain at the 4600 ft level above Big Sur. SLO forecaster John Lindsey reports today on five-day totals for Wednesday through Sunday of 3.37 inches in San Luis Obispo, 8.54 in at a very wet Rocky Butte and 3.68 in at Santa Margarita. Morro Bay got 1.22 in and Los Osos 1.5 in.
Forecaster Alan Fox who predicted these big storms, says despite a drying off period and smaller rain events in the next few days the storm doors are wide open in California and look for another round of wet weather from around December 17 through Christmas. Fox says California will experience a wet winter through most of the state. In an August 2012 Citrograph article, Fox predicted December and January would be rainy.
If it was rainy it was a warm rain and snow did not fall below 8000 ft in many locations over this weekend. Ski resort China Peak,above Fresno is not open Dec 3 despite getting ” 2 to 3 feet” at their higher elevations because of a lack of snow at their base.
Fresno broke a record December 1 when the minimum temp recorded was 56 degrees that night says NWS.