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L.A. is set to record a fourth straight year with below-average rainfall

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 30, 2009 at 6:17 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

Despite a gloomy June, Los Angeles is poised today to record its fourth year in a row with below-normal rainfall. From July 1 of last year to today, a period designated as a “rain year,” only about 9 inches of rain fell compared to an average of slightly more than 15 inches, said Bill Patzert, a climatologist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge.

Southern California hasn’t had an above-average rain year since 2004-05, when L.A. experienced its second-wettest year on record, with rain totaling 37.25 inches. The next year, some meteorologists forecast that El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean could lead to a wet winter for Southern California. Instead, L.A. experienced its driest year on record, with only 3.21 inches.

This June was cooler than previous ones. Almost every day was overcast. And the first days of the month were marked by something unusual: rain. This June had twice as much rain as normal, but it only amounted to about 0.15 inches, Patzert said. “That’s just enough to push the dirt around your car,” he said. “It’s definitely not a drought buster.”

Read more from the Las Vegas Sun by clicking here.

June 30, 2009 · Filed Under Drought, Weather & Snowpack

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