After experiencing eight straight days of rain across the Inland Empire in late December, National Weather Service (NWS) Meteorologist James Brotherton says the second half of the month was not typical for the region.
"In a typical winter, the storm systems are spaced out a little bit more than that, and December ended up being the second wettest December for most cities in the Inland Empire," said Brotherton.
That being since 2000, with the highest levels seen in December of 2010. According to NWS data, Riverside saw 3.75 inches of rain in December, Ontario had 7.36, and at least 2.5 inches of snow for Big Bear Lake. Big Bear Lake is the only NWS weather station in the San Bernardino Mountains and had no weather data for the last eight days of the year. KABC in mid-December said Big Bear Lake saw at least 12 inches.
Brotherton also spoke about the Sierra Snowpack, which is 157% above normal levels and is a primary water source for Southern California. He said, "We still have 45% of the season to go, so we'll have to see how the rest of the snowpack season goes for the Sierra Nevada, so for now, things are looking good."
But for January, Brotherton says things will most likely look a lot different for the Inland Empire. "Now we're looking at dryer weather in January, and that may continue through the rest of the winter, but we'll just have to see how that plays out, of course," added Brotherton.
According to NWS data, most of Southern California is expected to have below-average rainfall levels through March, with Northern California expected to have equal chances of above or below average levels.
