The last storm was a dud, and February might fizzle -- as November, December and January did. But, don't despair, there have been drier seasons in just the last 20 years.

Local meteorologist Steve Johnson took a harder look at the numbers and discovered Fresno's season thus far is the 22nd driest in the last 134.

In his mountain of impressive research, this is what jumped out at me: Fresno was drier at this point in the 2006-2007 season. And the city was even drier in the 1990-1991 season -- third worst on record.

Reader and water engineer Lance Johnson of Shaver Lake says he remembers that 1991 season well. Storms never arrived that year, either. Until March when storm and after storm pounded California for weeks. It was dubbed "Miracle March."

Shaver resident Peter W. Ogle took the 1991 photo with this blog. Johnson said it was taken about two weeks into the snow siege.

Here's how Johnson remembers it:

"Up here, it snowed every day for 28 days. Not continuously, but some snow every day. The snow on the ground never compacted. It just stayed powder. By the time it stopped we had powdery snow up to the bottom of the windows --on the second floor. But the water content, inches per foot of snow depth, was low so I think we still ended up the year as dry."

Will there be another one like that next month? It sure doesn't look like it right now. But, as I recall in 1991, it didn't look like we'd see another storm until Thanksgiving.