Decked out in rain coats, boots, hats and umbrellas we braved the wind, raindrops and power outages from Jan. 3 through 7. Vegetable fields became waterlogged, horse corrals slippery and pastures green.

A McDonald/s sign was torn apart in Santa Maria, a tree wiped out a balcony in Cambria and a boat sank at Port San Luis. The Central Coast received national attention. This was a January storm that brought back memories.

But, was this storm historically unique? Judging by the media coverage and the rains over the last 10 years, we would probably say Byes.C We have become used to long January dry spells with temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

Having lived on the Central Coast for more than 50 years, I remember when kerosene lamps were not just a decoration but part of the winter routine when electricity was lost for a week or more.

Rain was not just a one- to two-day Bsplash and dashC but a week-long steady stream that soaked the ground, swelled the creeks and brought flooding that had locals rowing boats to rescue residents.

Fireplaces burned wood, and I remember dinner being cooked on top of a woodstove.

Rainfall the last 10 years has averaged about 70 percent of Bnormal,C and I must admit that even I have become complacent. But with a little planning and caution, rains like we received this month can be a positive experience.

Just for perspective, let/s look at 50 years of January rains recorded by two precipitation reporting stations, Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and the Mehlschau station in Nipomo.

San Luis Obispo reported 2.72 inches of rain by the second week of January. In the last 50 years, there have been 19 January storms exceeding that amount.

The hallmark January was 1969, when for four days San Luis Obispo was drowned in 13.65 inches of rain. Those of us living in San Luis Obispo will never forget slogging around in flooded apartments.

On two days alone, we had 4.93 and 5.90 inches. The wind blew the rain parallel to the ground.

Only one other year, 1995, had a January storm of more than 10 inches. For 15 days, the rain pounded the area, dropping 12.53 inches.

In 1943, there were seven consecutive days of rain totaling 8.95 inches. All those make this year/s 2.72-inch storm seem minor.

Although Nipomo reported a rainstorm total of 2.64 inches from this January storm, there have been 15 Januarys in the last 50 years that reported storms with more rain.

In January 2005, Nipomo saw seven days of rain that totaled 7.34 inches. Ten years earlier, in January 1995, significant flooding followed Nipomo/s largest storm since 1920, delivering 13 days of rain totaling 8.99 inches.

Historical storms like those add perspective to the recent storm/s 2.64 inches of rain.

For the agricultural community, early January/s rain was a much-needed New Year/s gift. Our pastures and fields need the water, and the town and country wells need recharging.

You can be sure those us in agriculture will continue to look to the clouds for more rain.

Joy Fitzhugh is a cattle rancher on the North Coast of San Luis Obispo County and a legislative analyst for the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau.

January 20, 2008