LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The National Weather Service has placed all of Lake County under a winter storm warning ahead of a strong winter storm system’s arrival on Friday.
The warning will remain in effect until 10 a.m. Sunday.
Rain fell across Lake County on Thursday evening and much of the day on Friday.
Rainfall totals in inches for the 48-hour period ending at 2 a.m. Saturday are as follows:
— Indian Valley Reservoir: 0.89.
— Kelseyville: 1.97.
— Knoxville Creek: 1.61.
— Lake Pillsbury: 3.37.
— Lower Lake: 0.87.
— Lyons Valley: 1.81.
— Middletown: 2.01.
— Whispering Pines: 3.36.
The updated forecast expected rain and snow showers overnight along with high winds.
Those conditions are expected to continue throughout the day on Saturday and into Saturday night, with chances of more rain and show early Sunday before giving way mostly to rain and more high winds for the rest of the day and night.
Rain is forecast to continue on Monday and through midweek, when a break in the rain is expected.
The latest storm system is expected to push the level of Clear Lake up again. It peaked last week at nearly 8.5 feet Rumsey, the special measure for the lake, but was down to just above 8 feet Rumsey by early Saturday. The 8 foot Rumsey measure put the lake in “monitor” or “action” stage, at which point the speed limit close to the shore on the lake is temporarily reduced.
In other weather news, millions of Americans just experienced the warmest meteorological winter on record, according to preliminary data collected by AccuWeather meteorologists.
Every state in the continental U.S. had temperatures warmer than the historical average this winter, unlike last winter when the western U.S. was colder than the historical average, AccuWeather reported.
AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said our warming climate also contributed to the unusually mild conditions for much of the country this winter.
“This existing trend, resulting from a warming atmosphere driven by climate change, and other factors, was likely amplified this winter as a result of the additional warmth imparted in the atmosphere by the El Nino,” said Porter. “The largest increases in average temperature, as compared to long-term historical averages, have been across the northern part of the United States, especially during the winter months.”
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