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.
Weather is just too hard to predict.
For example, the dramatic flooding in north San Bernardino that caused millions of dollars in damage to dozens of homes and apartments happened in September, before the rainy season even started. And federal weather experts said it probably wasn't directly related to El Nino. In past El Nino years, the worst rains fell in February and March, traditionally the end of the rainy season in Southern California, said Michael Fox, who compiles rainfall totals for the flood control department. Yucaipa resident Kris Woolard has had a 3-foot high sandbag wall protecting her home for nearly two months, but so far she hasn't needed the extra protection. She lives in Wildwood Canyon, where a summer fire burned away so much brush that flood control officials say massive runoff could sweep away Woolard's home and those of her neighbors.