After a below-average rainy season, March may make up for it.
Another round of “active weather” sweeping into Greater Stockton is expected to bring a half-inch of rain to the region. The bulk of the rain is expected Wednesday, with isolated showers continuing into Thursday.
Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon.
That storm will be followed by a new system early next week that will drop another half-inch of precipitation, the National Weather System predicts.
Together, they are helping to close the gap on the season’s rainfall tally, which so far remains about 2 inches shy of normal for this time of year, NOAA says.
Besides those two storms, it looks like even more rain could be on the way by midweek next week.
“We just have a series of storms,” meteorologist Kate Forrest said from the weather service’s Sacramento office. It “does look like above-normal precipitation for the month of March, especially for Northern California.”
Since Oct. 1, the Stockton area has had 7.94 inches of rain. Normal for this time is 9.89 inches. Last year, the total was 10.73 inches at this time.
The first two storms won’t be terribly cold. Snow levels will stay above 4,500 feet, forecasters say. But a winter weather advisory will go into effect at 4 a.m. Wednesday and run through 4 p.m. Thursday for elevations at 5,000 feet and above.
Despite a long-range forecast with a chance of some rain every day, there’s one bit of good news: The weekend should be largely clear, and the sun will break through, forecasters say.