San Diego County’s winter dry spell now expected to last into first week of February

February is usually the wettest month in San Diego. The city averages 2.2 inches of precipitation. It might get that much this year, and perhaps more. But the month will start off bone dry, says the National Weather Service.

The mini-drought that began in early January will last at least through Feb. 3, and forecasters say there’s no strong sign that things will change immediately after that.

A high-pressure system in the Pacific Northwest is preventing storms from the Gulf of Alaska from sinking down the West Coast. Forecasters say the dry spell hasn’t significantly increased the threat of wildfires because big storms drenched the region during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

But a drought lasting deep into February could change that equation, especially if the county receives a lot of Santa Ana winds.