Wetter storms are better

It may be too early to declare a fabulous February from the standpoint of precipitation, but after a disappointing December and a junky January, this latest round of storms is looking pretty good.

While it is rare that a few storms can make up for a dry winter, it has happened in the past. Last winter, we received a year's worth of moisture in December, mostly during the series of storms in the final weeks of 2005.

On average, December, January and February are responsible for the vast majority of the precipitation Carson Valley receives during the year. Including December and January, we're running about 58 percent of average so far in Minden. That's the good news. Up on the passes, until these recent storms, the snow pack was running from a third to less than a quarter of average.

We were reminded this last weekend how ranchers rely on the moisture received in the mountains during the winter to keep the Valley green during the summer.

In wet years, like the last two, there is enough water locked in the snowpack to irrigate. But in dry years, ranchers have to call on their agricultural groundwater rights to make up the difference.

In the preface to "Roughing It," Mark Twain wrote that "Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it."

All we can do is watch and keep our fingers crossed that there is enough moisture to make up the difference for another year.