Fresno’s Spring outlook includes ‘prolonged’ drought. But some wet weather is on the way

Fresno and the rest of the western U.S. can expect a “prolonged, persistent” drought, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday as the agency issued its Spring Outlook.

It is the second year in a row that forecasters for the agency predicted drought, along with above-average temperatures from the southwest to the East Coast.

The release was issued as Fresno and the nearby Sierra Nevada were expected to receive showers and some snow flurries in higher regions over the weekend, a brief respite before temperatures rise in the coming week.

Weather activity in the first two months of 2021 locally was in line with the NOAA predictions. There was but a trace of rain in Fresno in January and only .04 of an inch in February.