The prospect of cold rain — not today or Wednesday but next week — is driving almond growers nuts.

That’s because the bees won’t pollinate unless the temperatures are in the high 60s.

And moderate to heavy rain can devastate blooms.

Some weather models are calling for up to an inch of rain in the Northern San Joaquin Valley from the system projected to pass through between Sunday and next Tuesday.

By the time the three-day Ripon Almond Blossom Festival starts Friday, Feb. 20, the forecast calls for sunny skies with a high of 60 degrees.

The South San Joaquin Irrigation District board will be discussing the upcoming irrigation season when they meet today.

The discussion will focus on progress of in-house and contracted work taking place on the district’s canal system.

The actual start date of the irrigation season will be decided at the next board meeting.

And that date will be influenced by the amount of rain the current system delivers and the one arriving for the start of next week.

California, including the Stanislaus River watershed SSJID depends on, has escaped the snow drought that is plaguing the rest of the West.  

SSJID General Manager Peter Reitkerk noted even the worse case scenario now shows the district and their Tri-Dam System partner Oakdale Irrigation District that have the rights to the first 600,000 acre feet of runoff they split 50-50, will get their full allotment this water year.

The 2.4 million acre foot New Melones Reservoir is now at 75.8 percent capacity. That is in excess of 100 percent of its historic storage for this time of year.

The SSJID supplies drinking water for 220,000 urban customers in Manteca, Tracy, and Lathrop as well as 50,000 irrigated acres within the SSJID boundaries.

Almonds are San Joaquin County’s second largest farm commodity.

 The overall value of the harvested almond crop reached $492 million last year.

Overall, the 2024 farm production was at $3.146 billion in San Joaquin County.

San Joaquin County is the fifth largest farm production county in both California and the United States.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com