Despite a series of wet days in March, Sun Valley is technically still in a drought. It seems like nothing is ever good enough to placate the drought gods. We had so much rain and snow covered mountains following the Thanksgiving storm. That coupled with successive rainy days recently makes one think we’ve accumulated enough water to stave off drought conditions but that would be incorrect.
According to drought.gov, Sun Valley is located in a region of California that’s experience “abnormally dry” conditions. In fact, most of the state is in some sort of drought with the exceptions of the southeastern corner of the state incuding San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
Los Angeles County, of which Sun Valley is a part joins much of the state from Southern to Northern California in these abnormally dry conditions. The San Juaquin Valley, However, and other parts in the center of the state (running all the way to the border with Oregon) are in a little worse shape. These areas are classified as “moderate drought.”
There is a small area of the state at the very northernmost point that is actually in “severe drought conditions.”
It was hoped that all the rain in recent days would ameliorate conditions and at the very least keep brushfire season at bay at least a little longer. Without more rain in the coming weeks and months, fire danger may become all too real.
Sun Valley is no stranger to the dangers of fire. We are situated close to the Verdugo mountains which burned not too long ago forcing neighboring communities to evacuate. More rain now mean potentially more brush growth on hillsides which provides more potential fuel for fires.
For Sun Valley residents living on hillsides, the same precautions should be taken now as in the past. Make sure you clear brush away from your homes to prevent fire spreading easily to structures.
We have other things to think about now given the coronavirus pandemic, but keeping an eye on Sun Valley rainfall and taking precautions to prevent fire damage should not be forgotten.