Bay Area rainfall closer to norm in past year than rest of state, now in driest stretch ever

While much of the western U.S. continues to suffer from a punishing drought, the Bay Area was close to its normal total precipitation over the last year, state officials said this week.

According to data from the state’s Department of Water Resources, the Bay Area received roughly 82 percent of its annual average rainfall during the 2021-22 water year, measured from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022.