El Niño's Heavy Rains Likely To Reach Northern California, Forecasters Say
(CBS SF) -- For the first time the odds are looking good for a strong El Niño to reach Northern California's drought-ravaged reservoirs.
On Thursday, the National Weather Service put the chance of El Niño hitting California this winter at 95 percent.
"This El Niño continues to rank among the strongest in our records," NOAA scientist Emily Becker wrote on Thursday.
Forecasters were previously predicting heavy rains in Southern California but weren't sure about the north.
A strong El Niño year in coastal Northern California averages about 40 rainy days per winter, December 1 through February 28, compared to about 26 during a non-El Niño winter. Of the six strong recorded El Niño years, Becker said the winter of 1965 was the only one to have fewer rainy days than the non-El Niño average.
Rain needs to fall in the state's northern reservoirs to make the most impact on the drought.