RAIN in Bakersfield

Those of us who’ve lived in the San Joaquin Valley all our lives are ridiculously excited by weather.

And we had some today in Bakersfield.

Other parts of the valley, not so much.

Rain touched the San Joaquin Valley floor in Bakersfield on Wednesday, for the first time since Sept. 5, 2019 when a smattering of precip mucked up windshields across the city.

As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, the area had received about .27 of an inch from the storm, which started about 6 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Other parts of the valley weren’t so lucky, receiving only about .10 of an inch or less north of Kern County.

The water year has had a slow start leaving us at .68 of an inch below normal since Oct. 1.

The slow start to the water year has already sparked news stories about the possible return of drought, following California’s epic 2012-2016 drought that caused wells to go dry up and down the valley.

But we’re still 1.33 inches above normal since Jan. 1 because of the three weeks of nearly continuous rain in late May.

There is a possibility of another storm next Wednesday, but models are very uncertain at this time, according to the NWS.