Wet March Followed Dry Winter

It's not yet time to stash the galoshes and stow the umbrellas.

More rain is on the way, which will make this March one of the wettest on record in the North Bay, according to the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat.

The turnaround is stark: on March 1, county officials declared the water situation "critical," according to reports.

In February, 1.36 inches of rain fell in Santa Rosa, the ninth driest February since 1931, according to the newspaper. Then in March, 7.12 inches of rain fell, 70 percent above average.

Another inch of rain is expected over the weekend -- just in time for the opening of local Little Leagues and other youth baseball leagues.

The precipitation means local water reservoirs are filling up. Since March 1, the water level in Lake Mendocino rose from 62,700 acre-feet to more than 77,000 acre-feet, the newspaper repored.

The reservoir in Lake Sonoma, which contains several years' supply of water, meanwhile rose from nearly 203,600 acre-feet on March 1 to 228,500 acre-feet Wednesday.