‘It’s not good.’ What the driest January in Fresno history tells us to expect this summer
Red flags are going up for farmers, firefighters, and everyone else in the central San Joaquin Valley after January officially tied the record for the driest on record in the region, and a once-massive Sierra snowpack continues to melt away.
“It’s not good,” said meteorologist Jeff Barlow of the National Weather Service in Hanford.
Only a trace of rain fell during January, the least since 1948, which he added was “terrible.” He pointed out that February should be the wettest part of the season, and no storms are forecast for the next 10 days.
The snowpack just weeks ago was at 157%, but that has eroded to 93%. If the trend continues, it means:
January’s dry weather is in the reticle of the Drought Monitor, a federal task force monitoring weather conditions.
Barlow said the region is now in the dangerous D2 classification, and “it could go back to D3.”
The ever-present risk of climate change plays a hand.
“The wet season is getting shorter, and storms are getting more intense,” Barlow said.
“We’ll see what February holds. It’s kind or our last stand.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 1:43 PM.