Rainy Sunday wets valley

A surprising rainfall that began in the evening Sunday, Sept. 13, and continued into the early hours of Monday was the first rain residents in Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley have seen since the spring.
“It did a wonderful job of squishing down the demand” for water, Scotts Valley Water District’s Colin Smith said.
The rainfall was followed by sunny days for the rest of the week.
Despite excitement from residents about the possibility of a strong rain year, Smith said there is no historical data correlating September rain to the traditional rainy season, which runs loosely from October through March or April.
“It’s great for us now, but it doesn’t tell us anything about how the year shapes up,” Smith said.
Last year — the third consecutive drought year in the area — the first significant rainfall came Oct. 3. The year before, 2007, it rained in late September, and in 2006 there was no rainfall in September.
The largest amount of September rainfall the Scotts Valley Water District has on record came in September 1987, when 1.3 inches fell during the month.
Rainfall (in inches) on Sunday, Sept. 13, and Monday, Sept. 14
Scotts Valley: 0.26
Felton: 0.33
Bonny Doon: 0.56
Boulder Creek: 0.24