The city has given away about 100 tons of sand and thousands of sandbags since the start of California's rainy season in October. Typically, the city might distribute 10 tons of sand the entire season, but intense media coverage of El Nino pushed interest way up, said Howell. But midway through the rainy season, the predicted deluge has not yet drenched San Bernardino County, says emergency planners. Overall, rain totals for Southern California are up slightly, said Atkin. The strange band of warm Pacific Ocean water known as El Nino has caused major weather changes around the globe, from flooding in Orange County to drought in Australia.
Experts predict a wetter than normal year for Southern California.
But in the San Bernardino Valley, rainfall totals are below many non-El Nino years so far, according to data compiled by the county Department of Transportation and Flood Control. A rain gauge in the Crafton area, for example, showed 4.47 inches of rain from Oct. 1 to this week. It measured 12.11 inches for the same period last year. Similar results were found for county gauges in Ontario, San Bernardino and Rialto. But that doesn't mean the region will escape any major problems, say county flood control experts.