SAN ANTONIO – The winter has brought a reversal of fortunes for South Texas when it comes to rainfall, in a somewhat unexpected fashion.
The current La Nina pattern generally calls for warmer, drier weather.
"About 20 percent of those La Nina years are actually wetter than normal and this one has turned out to be wetter, which is real blessing," said Mark Lenz, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service in New Braunfels.
A true blessing when considering last year's drought was one of the worst on record. Standing water remained on area roads Tuesday after Friday night's and Saturday morning's storms.
The heavy rain, while beneficiary, was still not enough to get South Texas out of the drought.
"We need about 6 to 9 inches of rain," said Lenz.
Rainfall amounts that end the drought in technical terms across the San Antonio area, but for farmers, who look to the timing of rainfall, more would be needed once planting season rolls around. In the short-term, the often resilient aquifer has bounced back.
"We're getting closer than we have in quite some time," said Roland Ruiz, in reference to aquifer levels returning to normal.
The cool winter months serve as an ideal time for replenishing rains.
"The rainfall that we are getting right now is particularly helpful because it's a low demand period for the aquifer," said Ruiz.
For now, Stage One restrictions are expected to continue, although the aquifer has recently peaked above 660 feet. A 30-day average above 660 feet is needed to lift the restrictions; however, Ruiz said it was possible that Stage One may continue for a period longer as a precaution.