Gentle storms bring hope that it will be a Happy New Year of rain
January 06, 2017
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Gentle storms continued to bring hope that 2017 will be a Happy New Year of rain and help erode the historic 5-year drought as totals to date close in on an historic normal rain year.
Santa Paula, with its mountains bookending the Santa Clara River to the north and south, had varying degrees of rain in the latest storm that started with a whimper, but brought a bang of hope that super dry times are coming to an end.
According to www.spweather.net January’s storm has brought O.71 inches of rain, close to 4 inches total since the rain year started October 1. At about 9 a.m. the weather station located near the Santa Clara River showed 0.23 inches had fallen since midnight Thursday.
The Ventura County Watershed Protection District (VCWPD) reported that at the Wilson Ranch 0.17 inches of rain had fallen since midnight for a storm total of 0.54 inches. Further to the north at the Santa Paula Creek Ferndale Ranch area the VCWPD reported the storm had brought 0.63 inches so far from the storm, 0.33 inches since midnight Thursday.
Last year rain to date was 0.65 inches and so far total rain to date reported by VCWPD is 5.48 inches, 93.7 percent of the normal to date total of 5.85 inches. Santa Paula’s “normal” annual rainfall is 18.05 inches.
And it looks like more to come: rain was projected to continue through Thursday, take a break Friday then start again Saturday. Sunday is expected to be dry but more rain is projected for Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week.
Although several severe weather warnings have not come to pass, it is always a good idea to stay home in wet weather or, if you go out, drive slow and cautiously. And if the rain picks up never try to cross running water either in your car or on foot.
If your property is prone to flooding stock up on sandbags and sand from local hardware stores: although the Santa Paula Fire Department hands out sandbags in emergencies, it is far better to be prepared and safeguard your property before it becomes a necessity.
