A woman walks through Old Town Temecula Thursday, April 9, as rain soaks the region for several consecutive days. Valley News/Shane Gibson photo
A series of late winter storms moved through the area recently providing some much-needed relief to the drought status of southwest Riverside County, according to reports from the U.S. Drought Monitor.Before the storms dumped 6.18 inches of rain in Temecula, the southwest portion of the county was labeled as abnormally dry by the agency which monitors and reports on drought throughout the U.S. As of Tuesday, April 7, the area was once again declared to be drought free.Annual average rainfall in Temecula is about 16 inches, the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District said. After the storms, the city exceeded that amount, bringing its total rainfall for the season up to 18.18 inches, according to weather currents.[caption id="attachment_23641" align="alignc
