A strong Pacific storm that has followed a weaker system has brought precipitation from the Gulf of Alaska to coastal Northern California, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a hazardous weather warning.
But don’t think the drought is over yet, said David B. Okita, general manager of the Solano County Water Agency.
“It certainly is helpful,” Okita said Tuesday. “But it’s not enough to add to the water supply.”
That’s because Northern California’s land is so dry, the rain hasn’t yet created any runoff, he said.
Okita has been looking at Lake Berryessa, which is a little more than half full, and local streams. He sees no improvement.
However, his agency isn’t experiencing the fluctuations of others in the state that count on other reservoirs. He said Solano subscribers will get 100 percent of their allotments in 2015.
In contrast, the State Water Project, which Benicia counts on for the bulk of its water supply, has varied its allotment from zero to 5 percent in 2014. In response, the City Council approved $900,000 in water purchases, imposed lawn watering restrictions and tacked a surcharge onto water bills.
Lake Berryessa has 1.6 million acre-feet, Okita said, and 1 acre-foot can supply two families.
He said residents can take advantage of this wet week by making sure their sprinkler systems are shut off.
“One thing people are doing more, and have been doing, is capturing rain,” he said. Many are putting rain barrels to catch water pouring out of their gutters, which they can use to water plants later on.
Others are using cisterns, he said, a similar approach but with containers that are underground.
Cisterns have been in use for generations, he said.
About capturing water, Okita said, “In California, it’s not as effective as on the East Coast, where it rains more.” He said that by spring, that extra water supply might last just a week.
Others have told him they are trying to reduce the amount of concrete they have, so rain can soak into the ground.
He called those approaches “small, but helpful,” and encouraged residents to “capture as much as you can.”
Benicia officials weren’t available by press time to speak about this week’s rainfall.
Elsewhere in the Bay Area, airport traffic has experienced weather-related delays, and San Francisco’s famous cable car service was suspended during the heavier periods of rainfall. Officials warned of potential mudslides and falling branches from diseased or old trees.
Benicia had a short precipitation break Monday, but by Tuesday 1.29 inches had fallen at Fire Station 11, 150 Military West, which has recorded a season total of 3.55 inches.
At Fire Station 12, 601 Hastings Drive, 1.16 inches of rain had fallen by Tuesday, with a season total of 3.68 inches.
The city Water Treatment Plant, 100 Water Way, recorded 0.88 inch of rain, but a storm total of 1.30 inches and a season total of 3.05 inches.
Fire Station 11 reported highs and lows just a single degree apart — 55 for the high early Tuesday — accompanied by easterly winds at 10 mph, with gusts up to 21 percent and 98 percent humidity.
Fire Station 12 had a marginally larger gap between highs and lows Tuesday: 54 degrees for the high and 52 degrees for the low. That station has recorded south-by-southeast winds at 3 mph, but had experienced gusts up to 22 mph.
Humidity there also was high: 98 percent.
The high temperature at the Water Treatment Plant reached 54 degrees Tuesday, with the low just 1 degree less. Northeast winds were around 18 mph, with gusts briefly recorded as high as 34 mph.
The National Weather Service expects Benicia to experience more rain Wednesday, including a possible thunderstorm, that could bring as much as a half inch of precipitation.
The city’s high may reach 61 and south-southwest winds from 9 to 14 mph, with gusts up to 18 mph.
Overnight, the chances of precipitation drop from 90 percent to 70 percent, but may add as much as a quarter inch to local rain gauges. The low is expected to be about 53 degrees, and southwest winds will range from 7 to 10 mph.
Thursday’s forecast gives Benicia a 40 percent chance of rain. Skies will remain mostly cloudy, with a high near 62 and east winds from 5 to 8 mph. Overnight, the chance of rain drops to 20 percent, with a low of 51.
Friday’s chance of rain also is about 20 percent. Under cloudy skies, the high may reach 60 degrees, and the low Friday night is expected to be 50.
A slight chance of showers remains Saturday, which will be partly sunny with a high about 61. The overnight low is expected to be 49. Sunday is expected to be partly sunny, with a high of 60. Sunday night should be cloudy, with an overnight low of 48.
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