California, 2017

Drought in California, March 1 to 31, 2017

March 1 to 31, 2017 · NWS STO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Long term drought impacts continued to decrease through the month of March, with a number of rain and mountain snow events. While the month ended up being average for precipitation, this combined with the wet pattern which began in the Fall and continued through the winter months to produce a large snowpack and to fill reservoirs.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS STO wrote it up.

Long term drought impacts continued to decrease through the month of March, with a number of rain and mountain snow events. While the month ended up being average for precipitation, this combined with the wet pattern which began in the Fall and continued through the winter months to produce a large snowpack and to fill reservoirs. At the end of March, Lake Shasta was 109% of normal, Lake Oroville was 99%, Folsom Lake was 94%, and Don Pedro was 119%. New Melones Reservoir improved significantly and was at 120% of normal.

The U.S. Drought Monitor showed all of interior Northern California in the 'None' category by the end of March.

Groundwater aquifers continued to recharge more slowly than the surface reservoirs, though the DWR Water Data Library showed strong signs of improvement in many areas.

Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency for the entire state of California January 17, 2014 and this continued to be in effect. Governor Brown issued an executive order on May 9, 2016 that built on temporary statewide emergency water restrictions to establish longer-term water conservation measures, including permanent monthly water use reporting, new permanent water use standards in California communities and banned clearly wasteful practices such as hosing off sidewalks, driveways and other hardscapes.

Local emergency proclamations remain for Colusa, Calaveras, El Dorado, Glenn, San Joaquin, Shasta, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne, and Yuba counties. Plumas County no longer had a Local Emergency Proclamation. The cities of Live Oak (Sutter County), Lodi (San Joaquin County), Manteca (San Joaquin County), Portola (Plumas County), Ripon (San Joaquin County), and West Sacramento (Yolo County) continued to have local emergency proclamations . Drought task forces remain in Lake, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tuolumne, and Yolo counties to coordinate response to the drought.

The threat of dead or dying trees continued, with on-going tree-removal programs at the state and federal level.

The state continued to supply food assistance to those impacted by the drought, along with California Disaster Assistance Act money for those who have lost drinking water due to dry wells.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 28, 9:10 PM PST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 9:10 PM PST, 2 hours 50 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sacramento CA
910 PM PST Tue Feb 28 2017

.Synopsis...
Flooding concerns continue as runoff from recent rain continues
to work its way downstream adding stress to waterways. Dry
weather with warming trend through the end of the week. Wet
pattern returns this weekend into next week.

&&
.Discussion...
Clear, Dry and warmer weather the next couple of days.
Temperatures are running slightly warmer than 24 hours ago but
will end up cooling back into the 30s by Wednesday morning in the
central valley. Some of the colder locations will cool off to
around 32 degrees by morning. The mountains will cool off into the
teens and 20s. Temperatures in the valley will warm into the low
to mid 60s on Wednesday with light northerly flow. The mountains
will warm into the mid 40s to mid 50s with predominantly a light
easterly flow.

.Previous Discussion...
Northwest flow aloft has resulted in dry conditions and plenty of
sunshine across interior NorCal. Temperatures this afternoon are
running a few degrees above normal for this time of the year.
Overnight lows will cool off into the 30s with a few patches of
early morning frost Tuesday and Wednesday night. High pressure
builds in resulting in dry weather and warmer temperatures.
Portions of the Valley could have daytime highs in the mid 60s
Thursday and Friday but temperatures should remain near average.
Ridge of high pressure shifts to the east on Friday as an upper
trough drops southward from the Pacific Northwest. Precipitation
could approach the Coastal Range and the northern mountains as
early as late Friday into early Saturday.
&&
.EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Saturday THROUGH Tuesday)

Interior NorCal returns to a wetter weather pattern beginning
this weekend as broad upper ridge shifts east and long wave trough
moves into the EPAC. Oper GFS continues to be deeper and more
progressive with weekend short wave. As a result, forecast leans
towards model blend. Best chances for precip looks to be generally
north of I-80 Saturday, then spreading over the entire CWA
Saturday night into Sunday. Snow levels with this cool system will
be moderate so higher passes of the Sierra will be impacted.
Breezy conditions expected with temperatures below normal. Oper
GFS maintains a wet forecast Monday into Tuesday while the Euro
shows increasing heights and lifts precip line north of the CWA.
With lowered confidence, forecast continues a blend suggesting
potential for some precip with below normal temperatures over
northern portions of the forecast area early next week.

&&

.AVIATION...

NWly flow alf with upr rdg cntrd off W Cst. VFR conds ovr Intr
NorCal nxt 24 hrs with sfc wnds genly lgt.
&&

.STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Flash Flood Watch through late Thursday night for Carquinez
Strait and Delta.

&&

Event by event

2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Northern San Joaquin Valley

When
March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
Where
Northern San Joaquin Valley forecast zone
Reported by
State Official

The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System indicated there were some homes without well water due to dry wells. In March there were 314 in Stanislaus County, unchanged since February. There were 8 in San Joaquin County, unchanged from February. Many rural communities in the Northern San Joaquin Valley were still receiving food assistance as a direct result of the drought.

Drought, Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland

When
March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
Where
Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland forecast zone
Reported by
State Official

The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System indicated there were homes without well water due to dry wells. In March there were 240 dry wells in Tuolumne County, unchanged since February. Emergency drinking water projects continued to help communities address diminished groundwater supplies.

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 2017

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 699859, 699889.