Atmospheric River Unloads On Marin

MARIN COUNTY, CA — A storm described as an “atmospheric river” by meteorologists brought heavy rains to a region mired in a historic drought that desperately needs it.

The storm that started Monday night and continued into early Tuesday morning knocked out power and internet access to some residents and toppled a large tree in West Marin.

Although pedestrian compared to the massive storm last month that caused widespread flooding and power outages, the most recent storm dropped 3.32 inches of rain on Mount Tamalpais, more than any other Bay Area region by far.

Last month’s storm, which dumped record-setting rainfall on many parts of the Bay Area, dumped 16.55 inches of rain on Mount Tamalpais over a 48-hour period, SFGate reports.

Monday night’s storm knocked out power to around 50 to 100 West Marin residents and toppled a large tree across both lanes of Highway 1 just north of Point Reyes. The highway was expected to be closed for hours as of early Tuesday morning.

Amid reports of widespread internet outages, the Marin County Sheriff’s admonished residents not to call 911, urging them to contact their service providers.

An especially strong start to this year’s rain season is welcomed by water officials.

Lake Lagunitas received 1.28 inches of rain in the most recent storm, according to the Marin Municipal Water District.

The MMWD, which serves over 190,000 residents, in the aftermath of last month’s storm reported that its seven reservoirs in the Mount Tamalpais watershed went from 33.03 percent of capacity to 50.47 percent in a four-day span.

The district declared a drought in mid-February and launched a public awareness campaign asking customers to conserve water by voluntarily cutting back on irrigation, not washing vehicles, and conserving water indoors.

The district in April enacted bans on washing vehicles at home, power washing homes and businesses, among others.

A restriction limiting golf courses to watering tees and greens went into effect in May.

Persistent warm, dry weather lowered Marin Water's reservoir storage to historically low levels.