Hollister
– The rainy season has been a bust – so far, at least.
In fact, this month is shaping up to be Hollister’s driest
January since the National Weather Service started keeping records
in 1948.
Hollister – The rainy season has been a bust – so far, at least.
In fact, this month is shaping up to be Hollister’s driest January since the National Weather Service started keeping records in 1948.
According to NWS forecaster Bob Benjamin, the average rainfall for January – historically Hollister’s wettest month – is 2.68 inches. But so far this month, the city has only seen only 0.09 inches of rain, and the odds for more in the next few days are low. The last major downpour was on Dec. 27, when 0.44 inches of rain fell.
Hollister’s “rain year,” which runs from July 1 to June 30, sees an average of 13.76 inches of rain, with 7.48 inches falling before the end of January. Since July 2006, however, the city has received just 1.62 inches, or 22 percent of average rainfall.
Local golfers can see one result of this dry spell at their local courses, where patches of grass have started turning brown. James Ferland, clubhouse manager at the Bolado Park Golf Club, said he counts on winter rain to supplement the course’s sprinkler system.
“We do rely on Mother Nature,” Ferland said.
However, Ferland said, the lack of rain this year hasn’t affected the quality of play on the course. And Steve Janisch, head golf professional at San Juan Oaks Golf Club, said that without the rain driving people indoors, a lot of players have been coming out in the afternoons.
“It’s not spring or summer conditions, but it’s pretty good for this time of year,” Janisch said.
Hollister resident Curtis Hall has also been taking advantage of the unusually dry weather. Hall said he’s done more mountain biking and jogging than he normally does in January.
And the cold – this month has also seen record low temperatures – doesn’t bother him.
“It’s kind of refreshing,” Hall said.
Local farmers, on the other hand, are hoping for some precipitation.
Richard Silva of Top Flavor Farms said row crop growers rely on rain to wash salt out of the soil.
Apricot grower George Bonacich, who is president of the county farm bureau, said his trees’ roots start growing at the end of January. If it doesn’t rain in the next week, Bonacich and other orchardists are going to have to start irrigating – but he isn’t too worried.
“As long as water is available, being dry never really hurts,” Bonacich said. “In fact, rain at the wrong time can be the worst thing that can happen.”
That sentiment is shared by Silva. He said that if there’s too much rain in March, it will cut into the days he can spend planting.
“You don’t get a chance to do the premier job that you’d like,” Silva said.
So where did all the rain go? According to Benjamin, the culprit is a high pressure system that has been sitting on the region since late December. That has driven most storms north, and the few that made it into the area were drained of energy and moisture.
But Benjamin emphasized that there are still a few months left in the rainy season. Although there aren’t any major downpours in the forecast, Benjamin said a single wet month could turn things around.
“It’s still a little early to really throw the towel in,” he said.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
