Despite recent downpour, Fresno’s seeing a drier-than-usual year
Fresno experienced a storm that yielded a brief tornado warning on Tuesday. Despite the deluge, 2026 has ultimately been a pretty dry year for the city.
The National Weather Service’s Hanford office shared a map that detailed rain reports for the San Joaquin Valley via social media on Wednesday.
Nearly a half-inch of rain fell yesterday, bringing the months’ total to 0.69 inches, according to NWS Hanford meteorologist Brandolyn Baeza. That’s behind the average precipitation rate of 0.82 inches for Fresno at this point in the month, Baeza said.
While a 0.13-inch-difference in rain may not be anything to write home about, the year-to-date comparisons show a more noteworthy contrast. Baeza said the Fresno-area normally sees 6.81 inches of rain by this point in the year, though 2026 has only yielded 3.90 inches for so far.
The storm on Tuesday was brought on by a low-pressure system that moved over the Central Valley. NWS Hanford meteorologist Brian Ochs said there was a 2-4 percent chance of a tornado forming between the Stockton and Selma areas on Tuesday.
