Merced County sees light rain — but is drought still a concern as spring approaches?

Many Merced County and Valley residents awoke Wednesday morning to the sight of puddles on sidewalks and damp soil in gardens — thanks to late night showers.

Although the late winter weather is a welcoming sight for many, weather forecasters say that doesn’t mean drought conditions are a thing of the past.

The National Weather Service measured about 1.21 inches of rain Wednesday morning around the Merced County Regional Airport. Merced County overall received about a tenth to a quarter of an inch of rain, while the foothills received about half to three quarters of an inch of rain.

That amount of rain compared with the average for March is well below normal, with Merced County being at approximately a half an inch below normal for the month, and 3 inches below normal at the Merced Airport, according to Dan Harty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.

In terms of the drought, Harty said this winter wasn’t the best — but it also wasn’t the worst.

“We’re about two-thirds of what we should be for the rain this year,” he said, “So we’re definitely not like we were back in 2012 through 2016. We’re definitely only about 65 percent of normal in Merced from the previous year.”

More showers are expected to continue Wednesday, while residents should see some sunshine going into the weekend.

Wednesday will continue with temperatures in the low 50s, Thursday will go to the mid-50s and Friday mid-60s.

Harty said Merced County is actually doing slightly better than some areas of the Valley. For example, Bakersfield is about 40 percent below normal, in terms of rainfall.

There weren’t any reports of snow Tuesday night for the Yosemite Valley, but Harty speculates snow fell at 3,000 feet elevation and above in the Sierra.

As far as snow for the winter season compared with the average, it is 41 percent of normal over the Southern Sierra; farther north in the central Sierra it is 55 percent of normal.

This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 1:16 PM.