The month of February is turning into a winter storm powerhouse as another stormfront is due to hit the region today and into Thursday, with a slight respite on Friday before ramping back up over the weekend.

Rainfall is expected to start light today and then get heavier into Thursday. Overall Valley and foothills precipitation totals look to remain in the 0.5 to 1-inch range, with higher totals of 2 to 4 inches over the Sierra, according to the National Weather Service. The return of heavy winds are also expected this week, with wind gusts up to 40 mph possible over the northern and central Valley, with lower gusts of 20 to 30 mph elsewhere.

Those looking to start the holiday weekend early with a ski trip, should be cautious traveling as periods of heavy mountain snowfall, with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour at times, are expected, says the NWS.

Rain, winds and mountain snowfall will return Saturday and Sunday,  with a high probability of exceeding one inch of rainfall in the Valley through Sunday. Gusty southerly winds of 30 mph or more in the Valley may accompany this first wave as well on Saturday morning. Snow levels look to drop to around 5,000-6,000 feet Sunday night through Tuesday. Gusty winds of 25 mph or more may also accompany this second wave of precipitation starting on Sunday.

While rain and winds have seemingly been a common occurrence since the new year, precipitation in the area hasn’t reached the historic levels recorded in 2023.

The Turlock area has seen a total of 4.9 inches of precipitation for the month of February, according to the Turlock Irrigation District’s hydrology update from Tuesday’s TID Board meeting, which is 76.5% of average for the date. Don Pedro Reservoir is currently at 82% of capacity.

“Everyone was predicting based on last year, we had all these atmospheric rivers going on and everyone was saying El Nino is coming this year, but as we’re getting into the year…I don’t think we’re seeing anything as severe as last year. It seems to me like an average, typical year so far,” said Matt Siemens, TID hydrologist.

The snowpack survey is also showing below normal results. The Department of Water Resources conducted the second snow survey of the season on Jan. 30 at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 29 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 10 inches, which is 58 percent of average for this location. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast.

The results reflect a modest increase in the snowpack since Jan. 1, but overall conditions are still far below normal. 

“This year’s El Niño has delivered below average precipitation and an even smaller snowpack,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Californians must prepare for all possible conditions during the remaining months of the rainy season.”

If more rain than predicted is seen in the Turlock area, residents can pick up sandbags for use during storm events to prevent damage and flooding on their property at the Municipal Services department at 901 S. Walnut Ave. During a storm, the City will man the sand bag station from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, however, sandbags will be available on a self-serve basis 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the raining season.