Rain in weekend forecast for Fresno area, and then it’s going to get cold again

Fresno (kind of the whole state, really) is coming off of two months of intense rainfall.

A total of more than eight and a half inches fell between December and January in the Fresno region.

Add to that total more than rain reported already in February: In the first week and a day, Fresno has had .63 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Last year, Fresno saw less than a tenth of an inch over the 28 days of February, though the historic norm for the month going back to 1878 is just over two inches.

There’s a slight chance of light showers coming into Fresno for Super Bowl weekend, as a storm system moves through the area Friday night and into Saturday.

It is forecast to result in less than a tenth of an inch of rain in most places in the region and slightly more as you move into the foothills. Oakhurst and Shaver Lake could see as much as a quarter inch.

Until then, it’s fog we have to worry about. A dense fog advisory was issued Thursday morning, with visibility in some areas dropping to 200 feet.

Potential freezing temperatures in Fresno next week

Next week, things are expected to clear up.

It will be dry but very cold.



Overnight lows expected to drop below freezing on Tuesday and continuing through Thursday, the weather service said in its daily forecast discussion Thursday.

Drought conditions, snowpack report

Drought conditions slightly improved in parts of California, compared to one week ago.

The U.S. Drought Monitor — in a weekly update published Thursday — reports the majority or 84.6% of the land in at least “moderate drought,” a nearly 5% five percentage point decrease from last week. The “severe drought” status increased less than 1% one percentage point, while other conditions across the Golden State remained the same for the fourth week in a row.

In other words, California continues to reap the temporary benefits of a wet January and some February rain; it doesn’t mean that the drought is over.

The U.S. Drought Monitor reports roughly 99.4% of California remains at least “abnormally dry.” The state is free of both “extreme” or “exceptional” drought.”

According to the Department of Water Resources, 49 stations in the Central Sierra Nevada are reporting at 200% of normal on Thursday.

Peak snow season is generally on April 1. As of Thursday, snowpack throughout California is 138% of average.

The Sacramento Bee contributed to this report.