The San Francisco Bay Area is expected to experience April’s first widespread rain event this weekend, but experts say it won’t make up for the water shortage created by two consecutive winters with below-average rainfall.
The system falling from the Pacific Northwest could arrive as early as Saturday evening, but the best chance of showers is Sunday morning after sunrise and in the afternoon and evening. Light, scattered rain can linger until Monday before the storm leaves the region.
“We have had no rain so far in April for the most part, except for light drizzle and some rain yesterday in Napa County,” said Roger Gass, a forecaster for the National Weather Service’s Monterey office. “Overall, this will be the first widespread rain we’ve had this month. As for the deficit, it will be a drop in the bucket, but as for rain, we’ll take what we can get.”
While the rains won’t fill the half-full local reservoirs, it may help slow down the coming wildfire season somewhat, which is expected to be particularly dire. “It’s good to wet the ground and moisten it,” said Gass.
California and the Bay Area are facing water shortages; the state said winter 2020-21 was the third driest on record. Reservoirs in the state are half full. Since the water year began on Oct. 1, downtown San Francisco has seen 30% of the average rainfall, Napa 37% and San Jose 35%, according to data from the California Nevada River Forecast Center.
The Marin Municipal Water District board of directors voted on Tuesday evening to declare a water shortage emergency, said Jeanne Mariani-Belding, a district spokesman. It is the first province in the Bay Area to take a significant step towards water conservation.
The board unanimously approved several mandatory water use restrictions, including a ban on washing cars, washing houses and buildings with power, washing sidewalks and driveways, flooding gutters, and more. The restrictions take effect immediately and will be enforced from 1 May. The board will review an outdoor watering limit in two weeks.