From record rain and snowfall to flooding and lightning shows, Kern County has seen its share of unusual weather over the past year. This time last year, we were heading into a La Niña season. Little did we know it would become the third strongest on record. Now, that same weather maker has re-emerged in the tropical Pacific Ocean and is forecast to gradually strengthen and continue into this winter.
It could make for more wild weather in Kern County.
Torrential rains got the winter of 2010 off to a wild start in Bakersfield. Streets were flooded after record setting rain in December. The city picked up close to 6 inches of rain that month, making it not only the wettest December on record, but the all time wettest month since record keeping started in Bakersfield began back in 1889.
The rain also resulted in a new 24 hour record rain total of 2.31". After 7 straight days of rain, Bakersfield residents couldn't believe their eyes.
"This is unprecedented in anybody's memory here," said Public Works Director Raul Rojas. "We have some 25-30 year employees."
What led to all the rain? Cooler-than-average temperatures in the Pacific Ocean - or La Niña. This phenomenon creates wetter and warmer weather patterns in Southern California and Kern County.
La Niña typically occurs every three-to-five years. The 2010-11 La Niña kept area farmers on their toes.
"Yeah, it was a different year, a lot of things happened," said Chad Mattock. "It was a fun game if you're a grower."
Chad Mattock is a local ag consultant with J.R. Simplot. He says last season's rainfall led to one of the biggest almond crops in California history.
While area farmers love the rain because it helps keep the reservoirs full, too much can lead to problems, like mildew.
"This year really wasn't a big bug year, it was more of a disease year if anything," said Mattock. "With grapes, we had a lot of mildew. The almonds had to do a few more bloom sprays than normal. Cherries, same thing, bloom sprays, more mildew issues. Cotton really wasn't affected other than there was a delayed harvest."
Not only was La Niña a rainmaker in California, it was a snowmaker. Snow blanketed the Sierra Nevada mountains in epic proportions.
Last season was record-breaking at Mammoth Ski Resort with 668 inches of snow. In December alone, it got 209 inches of snow - the most on record and heavy snow continued through May.
Eventually, summer arrived melting the Sierra snowpack into area rivers and reservoirs. The Kern River reached its highest level in years. The current was higher and faster than usual. Meanwhile, La Niña had weakened.
But, by September of this year, La Niña showed signs of strengthening again. Lightning struck in the middle of the night on September 10th. Residents awoke to a lightning show like none other in Kern County!
The storm brought only a trace of rain to Bakersfield, but so much lightning that more than 40 wildfires were ignited in the county, threatening homes and lives.
Almost two weeks later, a similar storm system swept through the area, attempting a repeat, only this time, it interrupted Friday Night Football.
"You hear it off in the distance and you wonder every time there's a lightning strike they postpone it 30 minutes, evacuate the stands, bring it back. It happens over and over again and pretty soon it got so late they said cancel it and play it the next day," said former Foothill High School coach Ned Permenter.
Permenter has worked the sidelines for more than 50 years and has never seen a game cancelled in Bakersfield for lightning.
"Everyone said, have you ever seen this happen before? Everybody was talking about it. I've never seen it happen," said Permenter. "Like I said, we've heard about it happening but never seen it in Bakersfield. It's kind of bizarre for it to happen here. I mean, I can't recall it."
The strong 2010-11 La Niña contributed to extreme weather events throughout the world and wacky weather in Kern County and more is on the way.
With blowing dust and a dry month of October, the 2011-12 rainy season is off to a modest start but the latest report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows La Niña is strengthening, and will be back again this winter. There is a 50 percent chance that La Niña will happen two years in a row.
Right now, it's looking like La Niña will be weak or moderate in strength.
