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No doubt you've noticed the warmer temperatures in the Bay Area this week, some of those temperatures are record-breaking! We are experiencing a mini-heatwave in the Bay Area this week with temperatures in the 70's and even low 80's which is, of course, not typical for February (winter!). We are anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees above normal for this time of year.
Water officials in the Bay Area are hoping for more rain before they have to declare another drought emergency.
We had that huge dumping of rain the Bay Area a couple of months back and and snow in the Sierra but the heat has melted some of the snow that was built up in December, and, at least in Santa Clara, their reservoirs are only about a quarter full. Keep in mind, when we need to buy emergency water, it's incredibly pricey.
January 2022 was the worst month on record for precipitation in California and unless we get more rain and snow soon they may have to declare another drought emergency in April.
Water managers are still urging California residents to conserve water just in case it stays dry for the rest of the wet season.
Along those lines, Bay Area firefighters are giving all of us a reminder to be careful when using barbeques, open fire pits, or gas powered landscape equipment. Bay Area hillsides are still pretty green but they are starting to turn brown. There is a legit fire danger due to the lack of rain. There is still a good amount of moisture in the vegetation except at higher elevations so with the dry conditions, that's alarming because it could lead to an earlier fire season.
Carolyn McArdle talked about it on the air. Listen below...