May's surprising rain will resume later today with heavy precipitation expected to start during the evening commute.
So far, 1.17 inches of rain has fallen in the first week of the month in Sacramento, twice May's average. The National Weather Service expects plenty more tonight with a half to three-quarters of an inch predicted to fall tonight.
"It's going to be a little wet," said Felix Garcia, weather service meteorologist. "Winds will be from 10 to 20 mph. The chance of rain for today is quite low -- about 30 percent. But tonight is when we start getting more rain.
"After 5 p.m., when people are driving home, it is likely that rain will kick in. Drivers be careful."
The rain will continue into the early-morning hours, padding an already wet month. The rain is the product of a warm sub-tropical storm coming directly at the state from the Pacific Ocean.
So far, Sacramento has received 15.87 inches of rain for the rainfall year, which began July 1, 2008. Average rainfall for the entire season, ending June 30, is 19.15 inches.
The recent rains have added to water storage in Northern California lakes and reservoirs. Folsom Lake is at 83 percent of capacity, Shasta Lake 67 percent and Lake Oroville 59 percent.
Storage at Folsom Lake is 809,130 acre-feet. That compares to just 545,779 acre-feet captured in the lake this time last year. Water levels in Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville also are higher.
Shasta Lake has just over 3 million acre-feet, compared with 2.9 million acre-feet last year. Lake Oroville has 2,091,971 acre-feet, which is higher than the 1.7 million in storage this time last year.
However, snow pack water content reflects the ongoing drought conditions. Water content in the snow in the Northern Sierra Nevada is at just 66 percent of average.
Dave Rizzardo, chief of the snow survey section for the Department of Water Resources,said there are two factors causing the rivers to rise: the rain and the warming temperatures causing snow to melt in the high country.
"We are at a time of year when you would expect the reservoirs start to fill up just because the snow is melting because it is warmer," said Rizzardo. "On top of that, quite of few inches of rain fell in the foothills and parts of the Sierra Nevada. That will contribute a lot of direct runoff into the reservoirs."
Rizzardo said there is still plenty of capacity at Shasta and Oroville lakes. Each reservoir has another 1.5 million acre feet of storage capacity.
"They still have big holes to fill," said Rizzardo. "Folsom is a lot smaller so it can fill a lot quicker."
The May rain is still a nice shot in the arm, he said. However, the recent rains won't break the three-year drought.
"It is not going to save us from the drought," Rizzardo said. "One weekend of rain is not going to get you out of it. But it's a nice little spike. It definitely is good news."
Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.
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