Felt a few raindrops in Sacramento? Well, don’t get your hopes up for lots of rain

Early morning sprinkling around Sacramento County on Monday is not an indication of wetter weather ahead, forecasters say — unfortunately considering Northern California’s desperate thirst.

By 8:30 a.m., rainfall had been observed at the National Weather Service’s Arden Arcade office, and was seen elsewhere across the greater Sacramento region.

The light rain was a result of partial cloud cover moving across the region, expected to bring a few showers to the Northern Sierra Nevada, according to NWS forecasters, but which will likely clear completely by the afternoon.

“Don’t be surprised if you see some sprinkles on your morning commute today — radar is picking up some light echoes,” the Sacramento office wrote on social media. “Unfortunately very little rain is expected with these showers.”

The rest of the week is expected to remain dry as well, with warmer weather ahead. Monday’s high temperature in Sacramento is expected to hit 71 degrees, gradually increasing throughout the week to reach an expected 77 degrees on Sunday.

The continued dry weather could exacerbate the thirst of an already parched California. Late last month, the State Water Resources Control Board warned that with below-average precipitation, and as the rainy season appears to have mostly concluded, water shortages are possible in the near future.

The vast majority of the state is currently experiencing drought conditions ranging from moderate to exceptional levels of intensity, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 9:11 AM.