Massive rains soaked Fresno this winter. Here’s how 2023 stacks up to all-time records
Coming into April, Fresno had an impressive amount of rainfall.
“There aren’t many years that have had more,” said David Spector, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.
Indeed. Since July, Fresno has recorded 17.59 inches of rain. That’s well above the 11.5 inches normally seen each rain season and several inches more than the past two years combined. The last time Fresno saw anywhere close to that number was in 2016, when Weather Service data show 17. 2 inches recorded for the year.
Going back to 1878, there have only been six years when Fresno has recorded more rainfall.
According to the Weather Service data, the rainiest year on record was 1982-83, when Fresno reported 23.57 inches.
The other years reported:
22.98 inches in 1968-69
20.16 inches in 1997-98
19.03 inches 1994-95
18.99 inches in 1957-58
18.16 inches 1977-78
The bulk of the rain has fallen within the past four months in a series of storms; one each in January, February and March, Spector said. And it is likely the last rain we’ll see for awhile.
Forecasts are calling for dry weather in Fresno for the next two weeks at least. A storm is building for next week, but it will bypass the central San Joaquin Valley on its way to the Pacific Northwest.
“Oregon and Washington are going to get a lot of rain,” Spector said.
And historically, April, May and June are excessively dry. In most years, even the wettest ones, the rain levels for those three months can be recorded in the tenths of inches. In 1983 for example, Fresno recorded just one tenth of an inch in May and June.
It’s hard to predict if the heavy rains will continue into 2024, Spector said. It’s very likely that Fresno could see a dry year following this year’s excessive rain. Less than eight inches of rain fell in the year after 1983’s record rainfall.
Winter storms push record snowpack, flood concerns
Putting aside any rainfall in Fresno, the next few months will still bring water concerns in the region, specifically as it relates to runoff from the record-breaking snowpack in the Sierra Nevada.
Last week, the Department of Water Resources measured the snowpack at 61.1 inches (snow water equivalent). That was 237% of state average for the date and higher than levels in the winter of 1982-1983.
“As of right now, it’s looking like this year’s statewide snowpack will probably, most likely be either the first or second-biggest snowpack on record, dating back to 1950,” Sean de Guzman, snow survey manager for the Department of Water Resources, told The Sacramento Bee.
Spring runoff in waterways in the San Joaquin Valley are expected to reach more than 400% of historical averages along the Kern River and nearly as high in the Tulare Lake Basin, according to runoff forecast data from the Department of Water Resources.
And increased flows on the Kings River caused the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office to call an evacuation warning for the area northeast of Highway 180 and Piedra Road. Spokesman Tony Botti said the water has recently risen significantly near the Riverbend RV Park, a piece of property that historically is prone to flooding.
