A few hundredths of an inch of rain fell across in the majority of San Diego County and some areas elsewhere in the state got higher amounts this week, but authorities said that's not enough to make a dent in the drought.
In a 24-hour period ending at 7 p.m. Tuesday, automated gauges collected .03 of an inch of rain in Mission Beach, Encinitas and Scripps Ranch; .02 of an inch at SeaWorld, in Del Mar, Poway and at Miramar Lake; and .01 of an inch of rain was recorded in University Heights, Linda Vista, Fashion Valley, Lindbergh Field, Point Loma, Rancho Bernardo, Santee, Poway and at Lake Cuyamaca, according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service.
But even with the rain and snow this week and over the past few weeks, California remains below normal for precipitation in the current water year, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Weather service forecasters said precipitation in northern California eased some of the exceptional drought, but many more storms are needed this winter to "really put a dent in the drought."
A slight chance of morning rain was in Wednesday's forecast for areas other than the deserts, but NWS forecasters said building high pressure would bring drier and warmer weather later Wednesday through Friday.
