How much rainfall has come down on Sonoma County in the past two weeks?
Officially, no place has recorded more since Dec. 26 than the forested outpost of Venado, in the hills west of Healdsburg. Wireless Rain Gauge Station
The automated weather station there has long been known to capture totals that distinguish it as one of the wettest places in Sonoma County — and on the entire West Coast.
In the winter of 2015-2016, it recorded 47 inches between Oct. 1 and Jan. 20.
The total from recent storms is no less impressive.
Since the first in a series of atmospheric river storms hit Sonoma County on Dec. 26 through Tuesday, the weather station had received 27.96 inches, according to Sonoma Water, the county agency.
By comparison, the official gauge for Santa Rosa, at the Sonoma County airport, had measured 14.36 inches, according to National Weather Service data.
About 10 miles west of Healdsburg, along Mill Creek and Mill Creek Road, Venado is a collection of scattered ranches, residences and old cabins — remnants of a once-thriving but tiny timber and mining community dating to the 1800s.
It was officially dubbed “Venado” in 1922 with the opening of the post office, which closed in 1941. The name was taken from a nearby ranch, El Venado, which is Spanish for both deer and venison.
Venado's celebrated rain gauge sits at 1,260 feet above sea level on the old Dodge ranch. It's obscured from view and not accessible to the public. The land has been in Nathaniel Dodge's family for three generations, going back into the 1800s.
It's been an official reporting station for the National Weather Service since 1939, and the equipment has evolved over time. The old manual rain gauge gave way decades ago to an automated station.
Data collected there goes to three agencies: the National Weather Service, Sonoma Water, the region’s dominant drinking water wholesaler, and the state Department of Water Resources.
The data has helped forecasters track precipitation totals during heavy storms like the current period, when flooding along the Russian River is a major concern.
Outdoor Thermometer Rain Gauge UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: