Why tonight's rain won't frighten spooky Mr. Drought

Here's a word you may not have heard in a while -- rain. The National Weather Services says were supposed to be getting some after 11 p.m. -- maybe three-quarters of an inch. The whole state in fact is supposed to get a dousing. But it's not going to dent the drought. 

The state needs 75 inches to reverse this drought. That precipitation needs to fall as snow in the Sierra Nevada between Lake Tahoe and the Shasta reservoir, since the melt from that snowpack is saved in the spring, creating the state's reserves. This storm will bring one to two inches to that area.

State climatologist Mike Anderson said residents should temper their enthusiasm, because while the rain is good and certainly needed, it is nowhere close to chipping away at the drought. He said this storm at least helps California hit the average for rainfall in October, unlike October of last year, when California was already receiving below-average rainfall. He said the only way California can build back reserves lost during the drought is to consistently receive above-average precipitation in the Sierra Nevadas - 50 percent more than average.

"We’re at the very beginning, so there’s a long road ahead," Anderson said.

December, January and February will be important months – half of California's annual rainfall comes during those 90 days. In case you're wondering, we need at least 15 inches to start chipping away at the drought here in Southern California.