RARE SPRING WILDFIRES A POSSIBILITY

Weather service says region in midst of sixth driest season on record

San Diego County is in the midst of the sixth driest rainy season on record, conditions that could lead to rare and sizable spring wildfires if things stay dry, the National Weather Service said on Tuesday.

San Diego International Airport has recorded only 4.36 inches of rain since the official water year began on Oct. 1. That's more than 4 inches below normal. The airport averages 10.33 inches of rain from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

The county occasionally gets significant rain in April. In fact, it happened last year when the airport reported 3.68 inches. But it is usually quite dry. And the federal government's latest spring and summer forecasts call for dry weather with above average temperatures.

“If that happens and we get strong winds we could end up with severe wildfire conditions,” said Alex Tardy, a forecaster at the weather service office in Rancho Bernardo.

“Things should be lush right now but they aren't. Some of the (vegetation) fuels are already at record dry levels.”

Santa Ana winds are most common during October, November and December. But they can happen at any time of the year. The dry, offshore winds were responsible for the record temperatures that were reported across the county last week.

The rest of California also is unusually dry.

The state Department of Water Resources conducted its annual snow survey last week in the Sierra Nevada and found that the region — which is crucial to California reservoirs — had received only half of its normal precipitation. The depth of the snow was 49.5 inches, which equates to 21 inches of water. Those figures tie for the third driest on record.

Forecasters say greater San Diego is dry because weather patterns steered many storms away from Southern California, particularly during January, February and March, which are typically the wettest months.