South wetter than north

Tom Gardner

Friday, March 2, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

RENO -- February soaked Las Vegas, providing half of the city's average yearly rainfall in the shortest month, while the northwestern part of the state just got drier.

"With most of the productive part of the water year over, there is some concern about a potential drought," state Climatologist John James said Thursday. "Right now, it doesn't look very good for us."

It was the first time James had used the word "drought" in six years, since a soggy March 1995 gave northern Nevada and the Sierra a wet winter after eight dry ones.

He said Reno got only about a third of its normal rainfall last month, leaving the western part of the state and the Sierra at just 30 percent to 60 percent of average with a month left in the water year.

In contrast, Las Vegas received 2.21 inches of rain, more than half its yearly norm of 4.13 inches and 1.73 inches above normal. It was the fifth wettest February since record-keeping began in 1937, James said.

Reno got but 0.31 of an inch, 0.76 of an inch below normal and Ely had about two-thirds of average at 0.49 of an inch, 0.21 shy of the norm. Elko and Winnemucca both were 0.07 of an inch above average -- Elko at 0.87 of an inch and Winnemucca with 0.69 inch.

In the Sierra, the water content of the winter's snowfall -- which will water lawns and quench thirsts this summer -- is 75 percent of normal.

James, who chaired the state's drought committee a decade ago, said the northern part of the state is back in the grips of dry conditions while most of the storms are riding south on the jet stream.