Rain in February? No problem

Heavy rain early in the season, a dry January and rainfall the first week of February — it all figures to be standard stuff for the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

"It's within the realm of what we consider normal," said meteorologist Drew Peterson. "It's not like we're seeing any kind of extreme weather."

Rainfall is about 10 percent above average for the season thanks to heavy rains in December, he said.

Total rainfall so far this year is nearly twice the level at the same time in 2012, according to records maintained by the Appeal-Democrat.

The rain that fell Thursday may continue through today with a slight warming trend expected over the weekend, Peterson said.

Kulwant Johl of Johl Orchards in Yuba County, where peaches, walnuts, prunes and almonds grow, said the weather is working for tree crops.

"For orchards, so far it's good," he said.

The ground is still pretty wet, Johl said, and he agrees with Peterson that so far it has been a pretty normal weather year.

Heavy rain during tree blooming wouldn't be good, he added. Almonds are expected to begin blooming in about 10 days, peaches the first week in March and walnuts the first week in April. Jon Munger, a rice grower with Montna Farms in Sutter County, said current weather doesn't directly affect rice.

"We have nothing growing during the winter," he said.

Growers are interested in adequate reservoir levels for water supplies, Munger added.

The rain Thursday morning wasn't a problem for Derrick and Angelica Murphey and their daughter Rebecka, 4, as they left Covillaud Elementary School in Marysville.

"We don't let the rain get us down," Angelica Murphey said.

"It's nice," she added. "It brings out the colors in the trees."

CONTACT Ryan McCarthy at rmccarthy@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4780. Find him on Facebook at /@ADrmccarthy or on Twitter at @ADrmccarthy. Photo Editor Chris Kaufman contributed to this report.

Snowpack water below average

Snow surveyors reported that water content in California's mountain snowpack is below average, the California Department of Water Resources said.

Manual and electronic readings recorded the Jan. 29 statewide content at 93 percent of average, the state agency said.

Lake Oroville in Butte County, the principal reservoir in the state water project, was recorded at 75 percent of capacity — which is 113 percent of average for a Jan. 29, according to the state.

— Ryan McCarthy