Dry stretch in store as Bay Area waits for El Niño rains

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/No-rain-for-at-least-two-weeks-as-Bay-Area-waits-6534770.php

The chance for an El Niño-triggered early start to the rainy season for the Bay Area was unlikely as more than two weeks of dry days were on the way, forecasters said Monday.

No rain was expected for the next 16 days around the region and nearly all of California, according to forecast models released by the National Weather Service.

The dry start to October, though, is not unusual for the region. The Bay Area has a Mediterranean climate, which is defined by hot summers and wet winters.

October, much like August and September, historically sees little rain. While October marks the month many scientist begin measuring annual rainfall, rainy days usually don’t start until mid-November.

Wet winters have been elusive as California continues to reel from four years of punishing drought. Much of the state’s landscape had turned into an arid wasteland of dry brush and timber that has fueled catastrophic wildfires.

This year’s fires have been some of the most destructive ever with thousands of homes burning in massive blazes in Northern California.

Firefighters on Monday worked to stamp out the remnants of the Valley Fire in Lake County and the Butte Fire in Calaveras and Amador counties, which collectively burned 1,755 homes and hundreds of other structures.

This year’s El Niño, which is warming ocean surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, may bring rain to California in the early winter — but in the meantime, it’s only making things hotter.

Last month was the hottest August on record and September will likely follow suit. Climate scientists predict that October will have higher-than-average temperatures, compounding the effects of the drought, well before any rain will come.

When it’s all done, chances are that 2015 will be the hottest year on record.