This week's Drought Monitor keeps all of Monterey County in the Extreme and Exceptional Drought categories (the two highest of the five). The drought across the state has generally worsened over the past three years. The one bright spot for our region is the drought category went from D3 (extreme) down to D2 (severe) for an area stretching from Northern San Mateo County up through Marin County.
In addition, the latest forecast out to the end of the month keeps substantial rainfall well outside of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay
Region. It is possible that we will see a few chances for light rain or showers in the next two weeks, although all expectations are for light amounts.
The longer range outlook for February shows an equal chance
for above normal, near normal, or below normal precipitation. The 90 day
outlook for February through April shows equal chances for above normal, near
normal, or below normal rainfall for most of our area. Only Monterey and
San Benito Counties are favoring above normal rainfall.
If you haven't already, you can also visit www.co.monterey.ca.us/drought for more on the California Drought in Monterey County.
