While Hollister will fall short of breaking a record for rainy
days in March, recent rainfall that forecasters say will continue
into next month has been enough to force city crews to delay work
and has caused some concern in local farmers who are hoping things
dry out soon.
Hollister – While Hollister will fall short of breaking a record for rainy days in March, recent rainfall that forecasters say will continue into next month has been enough to force city crews to delay work and has caused some concern in local farmers who are hoping things dry out soon.
As of Wednesday, Hollister had 17 days of rain in March, three days short of the record set in 1983 when the city got rained on 20 days during the same month. Though the record set 23 years ago will stand, with 3.7 inches of rain this month Hollister has exceeded average rainfall by nearly 1.5 inches, according to Brooke Bingaman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The above-average rainfall is being caused by a westerly wind pattern that keeps blowing storms into California from the Pacific Ocean, Bingaman said. Usually the wind pattern will shift after a while and start sending storms north of the state, she said, but this year that hasn’t happened.
“It’s kind of gotten stuck,” Bingaman said. “It can be typical for seven to 14 days. But for over a month, no, that is not typical.”
Bingaman said that the arrival of warmer weather in the coming weeks should send the wind, and the storms, north, and away from California.
“We need something to kick this pattern,” she said. But, she added, forecasts for the next week or more show no change in the wind pattern, which likely means more rain will arrive.
A change in the winds would be welcome by many in San Benito County who make their living from the land or work outdoors.
Terence Welch, sales manager for Phil Foster Ranch in San Juan Bautista, said that the near record-breaking rain has caused a variety of problems for the farm, which grows row crops such as lettuce. The wet weather has caused disease in the farm’s onions, resulting in losses from the first onion crop, he said. The rain is causing the lettuce crop to mildew, according to Welch. Also, he said, they can’t work pick crops when it’s raining.
“It keeps us out of the fields,” Welch said.
In Hollister, the rain has forced city crews to delay doing outdoor maintenance work, according to Community Services Director Clay Lee.
“One problem is that the ground is so saturated with water,” he said.
Since soggy earth and heavy equipment aren’t a good combination, Lee said, the city has had to put off cutting grass and weeds in public parks and fields until the ground dries out. Also, he said, crews have had to put off painting public buildings. Having to delay work now will just make for more work when the weather improves, setting the whole maintenance schedule back, he said.
On a positive note, Lee added, the city’s storm drain system is doing okay.
“For the most part it drains pretty well,” he said.
Not all ag businesses are suffering from the rain – yet. Local apple orchardist Ken Perry said, however, that if things don’t dry out soon rain-related problems are likely to blossom. If the rain keeps up, he said, it will interrupt the pollination process when his trees start to bloom in coming weeks.
“We’re okay right now, but it’s going to get to a critical point if the rains keep coming the way they have,” Perry said.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected]
