Weekend weather to get a break from the rain

CHICO — With the latest storm system in the rearview mirror, this weekend is expected to finally dry up some and even have some sunshine.

Sara Purdue, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office said the storm respite is expected to last through the weekend and beyond.

“We’re going to have some calm weather ahead of us for a little while so luck forward to a break in the storms,” Purdue said.

On Tuesday night, the most recent storm system moved into Northern California and brought more rain than previously anticipated. Purdue said the valley in and around the Chico area saw about 0.61 inches of rain with the foothills seeing as much as an inch and a half through Wednesday.

Outside of Butte County, the monitor outside of Willows in Glenn County showed about 1.49 inches of rain. North in Red Bluff, the monitor showed about 0.59 inches.

“There might be some fog on Friday, but the weekend is expected to be dry and mostly sunny weather,” Purdue said. “Potentially, there might be some clouds as well.”

Based on information graphics from the National Weather Service, fog is expected to settle in the early morning hours on both Friday and possibly Saturday.

On Jan. 31, the California Department of Water Resources opened the Oroville Dam’s main spillway to release water from the lake in response to the anticipated inflows from the recent storms. DWR halted the flows on Wednesday, though releases continued from the Hyatt Power Plant.

Related Articles

Fire Safe Council invites community to new building

Nearly all power restored in Butte County

Spilling away | Photos

Thousands remain powerless Tuesday; PG&E says Paradise power restored

Storm knocks out trees, power | Photos

According to monitors at Lake Oroville, the water level is at roughly 845 feet, which is more than last year’s 816 for the same date. However, winter storms in 2023 eventually brought Lake Oroville to its maximum capacity. On Feb. 8, 2022, the lake was merely at 746 feet.

As of Feb. 1, the Paradise Irrigation District reported that Paradise Lake’s water level was at 102% of its maximum capacity, holding 11,497 acre-feet of water. The Magalia Reservoir sits at 45% of its capacity, though the district notes that it is currently limited to this amount by the Department of Safety of Dams based on seismic concerns.