Following the atmospheric river that hit Northern California last week, Marin Water’s reservoirs are now at 136% of normal for this time of year, as first reported by CBS. This is the fullest the reservoirs have been this early in the winter season in over 40 years, Marin Water representative Adriane Mertens told SFGATE.
As of Tuesday, Marin Water’s seven reservoirs are at about 88% capacity. The last time reservoirs were this full at this time of year was in 1983, when the Kent Dam was raised. One Marin County reservoir, Lake Lagunitas, has received a total of 16.06 inches of rain so far this year, while the historical average total for this date is just 8.39 inches.
“The storm packed a punch, but still less than the ‘drought-buster’ from October 2021, in which 17.96 inches was recorded at Lake Lagunitas over the week-long storm,” Mertens said via email.
Right now, the Lagunitas, Bon Tempe and Phoenix reservoirs are all spilling, Mertens added.
Sonoma County’s reservoirs have also seen a boost from the historic rainfall. As of Monday, levels at Lake Sonoma had risen more than 12 feet, filling the reservoir to 66% of its capacity, SFGATE previously reported. Downtown Santa Rosa received 12.47 inches of rain in three days, a once in a thousand years event, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s a good start to the season,” Andrea Rodriguez, a spokesperson for Sonoma Water, told SFGATE on Wednesday. “Hopefully, we’re able to get some more rainstorms through March because we want to maintain our water supply into the dry season.”
The National Weather Service is predicting much drier weather for the end of November and early December with below-average precipitation.