... Rain returns to the central and southern San Joaquin Valley...

After nearly two and a half weeks of dry and generally sunny
weather across the central and southern San Joaquin Valley rain
finally made an appearance yesterday for the first time in 19
days. A cold front that swept across the region was responsible
the first precipitation to fall across the valley since last month.

While the rain that fell yesterday across the central and southern
San Joaquin Valley will now ensure March 2007 will not go into the
record books as the driest March on record... the stretch of days
without any measurable precipitation during this March was close
to being one of the longest such stretches on record in both Fresno
and Bakersfield.

In Fresno the driest March ever on record was in 1972 when no
precipitation fell at all during the entire month. March 1934 is
the second driest March on record with just a trace of
precipitation falling for the entire month. Yesterday/S rainfall
in Fresno of 0.16 inches was the first rain to fall at all since 0.07
inches of rain fell back on February 28th this year and marked a
stretch of 19 days this month without any precipitation falling at
all. This ties for the eighth such longest streak since records
started at the Fresno Yosemite international Airport /originally
known as the Fresno air terminal/ on August 8... 1949. Below is a
list of the longest stretches of days in March where no
precipitation has fallen in Fresno since 1950:

1. 31 days / March 1 through March 31... 1972
2. 30 days / March 2 through March 31... 1988
3. 23 days / March 9 through March 31... 2000
4. 22 days / March 1 through March 22... 1959
   22 days / March 10 through March 31... 2001
   22 days / March 3 through March 24... 2004
7. 21 days / March 11 through March 31... 1970
8. 19 days / March 10 through March 28... 1951
   19 days / March 13 through March 31... 1990
   19 days / March 1 through March 19... 2007********************

In Bakersfield the driest March ever on record was in 1934 when no
precipitation fell at all during the entire month. March 1956 and
March 1972 are tied for the second driest March on record with just a
trace of precipitation falling for the entire month. Yesterday/S
rainfall in Bakersfield of 0.32 inches was the first rain to fall at
all since a trace of rain fell back on February 28th this year and
marked a stretch of 19 days this month without any precipitation
falling at all. This ties for the eleventh such longest streak
since records started in Bakersfield at Meadows Field back on
September 28... 1928. Below is a list of the longest stretches of
days in March for Bakersfield since 1929:

1. 31 days / March 1 through March 31... 1934
2. 30 days / March 2 through March 31... 1988
3. 28 days / March 4 through March 31... 1976
4. 24 days / March 6 through March 29... 1951
5. 23 days / March 9 through March 31... 2000
6. 22 days / March 1 through March 22... 1959
7. 21 days / March 11 through March 31... 1955
   21 days / March 11 through March 31... 1970
9. 20 days / March 1 through March 20... 1936
   20 days / March 5 through March 24... 2004
11. 19 days / March 13 through March 31... 1966
    19 days / March 3 through March 21... 1997
    19 days / March 1 through March 19... 2007*******************************

Computer models show another system approaching the West Coast on
Monday of next week which may bring another chance of
precipitation to the area and help to boost precipitation totals
up higher. So far Fresno has received about 51 percent of normal
rainfall for the water season to date /which starts on July 1st/ while
Bakersfield has received about 46 percent of normal rainfall for
the water season to date.