Holiday storms put averages back on track
Time to empty the rain gauge, before another storm arrives. The Sacramento area has received nearly 6 inches of rain -- and a little more than that in the northern part of the county -- since the Water Year started Oct. 1. Kathy Morrison
Happy New Year! We start this new month sunny, but more rain is coming soon.
And that’s a good thing.
Holiday storms boosted December’s rain total to 4.69 inches in Sacramento – 37% above average for the month.
We needed it. After a relatively dry autumn, our Water Year – which measures the rain we receive from Oct. 1 to Sept 30 – was tracking below normal.
Thanks to that Christmas week rain, our total since Oct. 1 is now 5.65 inches in Downtown Sacramento. Average for that same three months: 5.94 inches.
According to the National Weather Service, more moisture is coming very soon. A new storm system is expected to arrive Tuesday night and drop a half inch to one inch of rain by Wednesday afternoon. Those showers will be followed by more rain on Friday night and Saturday.
That could make for damp conditions for Sacramento’s annual McKinley Park Rose Garden prune-a-thon on Saturday, Jan. 6. Volunteers and city crews are expected to be out pruning Saturday morning, rain or shine.
Such in-and-out storm systems are normal for winter in Sacramento. January is typically among Sacramento’s rainiest months, averaging 3.64 inches.
This rain may seem like a lot, but it’s just a puddle compared to what we experienced this time last year. Sacramento recorded 2.12 inches of rain on New Year’s Eve 2022, topping off 7.79 inches for December 2022.
By comparison, 2024’s rain picture may be starting out just right – not too much, not too little, but enough to give trees a nice, deep soak.
For more updates on Sacramento weather: https://www.weather.gov/sto/.
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Garden Checklist for week of April 21
This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.
* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.
* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.
* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.
* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.
* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.
* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.
* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.
* Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.
* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.
* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.
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