Disappointing precipitation month in the Almanor Basin
By Dale Knutsen
Precipitation remained low in the Lake Almanor basin during March. West shore snowfall only amounted to 4.5 inches, and the total precipitation measured just 1.09 inches. Our season snowfall accumulation at the end of the month came to 91 inches, or 76 percent of the long-term average. The seasonal accumulation of total precipitation did a bit better at 24.62 inches, or 90 percent of average. Overall we’re doing better than the last two years at this time but still clearly on the dry side of the curve.
Temperatures ran warmer than average in March. Our average morning low was 26.5 degrees F., just over a degree warmer than the norm. The average high was more than seven degrees warmer than the norm at 58.1 degrees F. Monthly extremes were a chilly 16 degree low on the 6th of the month, and a 73 degree high on the 25th.
The chances of picking up substantial moisture in April are pretty slim. We typically only get a couple of inches of rain in April, and this late winter and spring have been dryer than typical.