Central Valley sees steady rainfall from weekend storms

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Muddy waters surrounded a strawberry field on Sunday.

With back-to-back storms across the Central Valley, experts say we are collecting an average amount of water for this time of year.

"All water that falls from the sky is naturally welcomed, but usually, it's the winter storms from December through February that really are the ones that make the difference," says Randy McFarland with the Kings River Water Association.

McFarland says the severe weather we experienced last year is something we won't be seeing this year.

With less snow and rain expected, McFarland says the canal system built several decades ago is what keeps our crops growing.

"We are the richest producing part of the United States and if we don't have enough water, we aren't going to grow things," he said. "We know we don't have enough water, because naturally, it doesn't rain enough here."

McFarland doesn't believe the rain has caused any issues for farmers in the area.

But even with the usual amounts of rain and snow, there are some areas being closely watched.

"Pine Flat Reservoir has the potential to fill this year, and it's hard to believe because we haven't had that much rain, but there's so much carry-over water," McFarland said.

McFarland says the reservoir is 78 percent full, and it would take a big storm to reach full capacity for the body of water.

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