This has been an especially wet month in Bakersfield and Kern County. To date, we’ve seen 8 rain days in a month that typically only experiences 4.

Precipitation through early Wednesday brought our water year total to 1.04”, which is precisely where it should be. That is to say we are at parity for the water year. It may seem trivial, but to be at or above normal for the water year hasn’t really been the case in Bakersfield since May 2006. Low pressure brought a tropical tap of moisture up from the south together with generous amounts of rainfall. It was light to moderate rain, without being catastrophic. Some minor flooding has occurred, but nothing excessive. Mountain areas picked up 1 to 1 ½ inches while the valley has seen between a quarter and three quarters of an inch. All good news.

A low pressure system is moving east and will pass just to the south of Kern County. That is the sweet spot for atmospheric disturbances to generate a wet pattern in our area and it provides the ideal scenario for meaningful rainfall. If a low pressure system is too strong, then southerly winds ahead of it create a notable rain shadow and we don’t get as much rain as we potentially could. But if those southerly winds are light to moderate (as was the case this time), then any rain shadow is minimized.

Looking ahead beyond Thanksgiving it appears that a dry configuration is back on the weather maps. Ridging is forecast over northern California with a low dropping into Baja. This is a classic “Rex Block” in which high pressure is oriented north of a low pressure zone. Together they balance the general wind flow. So, dry weather is expected to persist well into the new month. It goes to illustrate how important rainfall is to this dry part of the world. Californians must have water from the skies to exist. We should relish days like this. On average, only 39 days out of 365 are rainy in the south valley. To be ahead on the rain schedule is optimum, because the long range forecast is generally dry. Are we out of the drought? Not by a long shot. Rain is rare in Bakersfield. Enjoy every drop and keep an eye on the western horizon for the next storm system. It may not arrive until the second half of December.