Rain clouds in the county skies this year so far could not have
acted more different than in 2007, when the area was thrust into
drought.
Rain clouds in the county skies this year so far could not have acted more different than in 2007, when the area was thrust into drought.
In 2007, Hollister received 7.15 inches of rain, or 53 percent of normal. As of Sunday, Hollister is 62 percent of normal for the rain year – which runs from July 1 to June 30 – with 8.81 inches of rain, said Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Monterey.
Unusually stormy weather in January helped Hollister catch up on rain totals for this year.
January was one of the wettest on record, with 5.18 inches falling this year, according to the NWS. In January 2007, 0.72 inches fell on Hollister, well below the city’s historically wettest month of the year, averaging 2.72 inches.
A small system was expected to bring rain today, but would not likely change the rain totals too much, Henderson said. More showers are expected through the week, she said.
February 2007 was the wettest last year, with 2.54 inches of rain falling in Hollister, not far from a historical average of 2.62 for that month, according to the NWS.
But this year, February has been relatively dry, with 0.40 inches of rain falling through Sunday, the NWS reported.
“Last year, February was the wettest month, and this year it looks like it’s going to be January,” Henderson said.
And local ranchers hope the rain continues in Hollister, where it historically falls in significant amounts through April.
Tom Manning, who raises pure-bred bulls near San Juan Bautista, said January this year was one of the wettest he’s ever seen. Manning said through his own calculations, the ranch there received nearly 9 inches of rain last month.
Wet weather in January combined with recent sun and warmth helped Manning’s pastures, he said.
“We got a good rain, and just this last week or 10 days it started to warm up,” Manning said. “That’s the main thing, to get the grass growing.”
Manning said ranches here need more rain, although cattlemen in southern San Benito County who rely on yearlings – cattle brought in from colder states and kept through the winter and spring – are already on hard times from the drought last year.