El Nino failed to deliver much needed rain to California in February, dashing hopes that the climatic phenomenon could help end the state’s crippling four-year, multi-billion-dollar drought.
Downtown Los Angeles received only .79 inches of rain last month, when it typically gets 3.8 inches. The Bay Area got similarly low totals. “From past six strong El Ninos, we have generally seen above normal rainfall,” said Robbie Munroe, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. “But since October 1 we’ve only seen five inches of rain so far (across Southern California). We were certainly expecting a lot more.” Meteorologists say a series of forecasted storms in early March could help, but with El Nino reportedly weakening and about 94 percent of California still in some form of drought, things aren’t looking good for the region.
USDA/NOAA
Ninety-four percent of California is in drought.