PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 130 PM PDT MON JUL 1 2002 ...DRIEST RAINFALL SEASON EVER RECORDED IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES... IT IS NOW OFFICIAL! THE WATER YEAR WHICH BEGAN JULY 1 2001...AND ENDED ON JUNE 30 2002...WAS THE DRIEST IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1877. A MERE 4.42 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED THIS PAST SEASON...WELL SHY OF THE PREVIOUS RECORD...4.85 INCHES...RECORDED DURING THE 1960-1961 SEASON. RAINFALL FOR THE 2001-2002 SEASON WAS JUST 29% OF THE 30-YEAR SEASONAL NORMAL OF 15.14 INCHES. *NORMAL SEASON RAINFALL SINCE RECORDS HAVE BEEN KEPT IS 14.92 INCHES. THE FIVE DRIEST SEASONS EVER RECORDED IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ARE AS FOLLOWS: RAIN SEASON TOTAL RAINFALL ----------------------------------- 2001-2002 4.42 INCHES 1960-1961 4.85 INCHES 1958-1959 5.58 INCHES 1898-1899 5.59 INCHES 1923-1924 6.67 INCHES DURING THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS...RAINFALL WAS ABOVE NORMAL IN ONLY ONE MONTH...NOVEMBER 2001. AND...ONLY TWO MONTHS...NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER...REPORTED MORE THAN ONE INCH OF RAIN. THE FOLLOWING BREAKDOWN OF MONTHLY PRECIPITATION FOR DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES... ILLUSTRATES THE MEAGER AMOUNT OF RAINFALL RECEIVED EACH MONTH. MONTH **TOTAL RAINFALL ***30-YEAR NORMAL % OF NORMAL 1971-2000 -------------------------------------------------------------- JUL 2001 0.00 INCHES 0.01 INCHES 0 % AUG 2001 0.00 INCHES 0.13 INCHES 0 % SEP 2001 0.00 INCHES 0.32 INCHES 0 % OCT 2001 0.06 INCHES 0.37 INCHES 16 % NOV 2001 1.42 INCHES 1.05 INCHES 135 % DEC 2001 1.38 INCHES 1.91 INCHES 72 % JAN 2002 0.80 INCHES 3.33 INCHES 24 % FEB 2002 0.29 INCHES 3.68 INCHES 8 % MAR 2002 0.32 INCHES 3.14 INCHES 10 % APR 2002 0.09 INCHES 0.83 INCHES 11 % MAY 2002 0.05 INCHES 0.31 INCHES 16 % JUN 2002 0.01 INCHES 0.06 INCHES 17 % TOTAL 4.42 INCHES 15.14 INCHES 29 % DURING THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1 THROUGH MARCH 31...NORMALLY THE THREE WETTEST MONTHS IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES...JUST 1.41 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED THIS YEAR. THIS IS THE FOURTH DRIEST SUCH PERIOD ON RECORD. THE FIVE DRIEST ON RECORD: RAINFALL TOTAL RAINFALL JAN THROUGH MARCH --------------------------------------- 1972 0.13 INCHES 1984 0.45 INCHES 1885 1.06 INCHES 2002 1.41 INCHES 1971 1.63 INCHES FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR TO DATE...ONLY 1.56 INCHES OF RAIN HAS BEEN RECORDED IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. THIS IS THE THIRD DRIEST JANUARY THROUGH JUNE PERIOD ON RECORD. THE FIVE DRIEST SINCE RECORDS BEGAN: RAINFALL TOTAL RAINFALL JAN THROUGH JUNE --------------------------------------- 1972 0.26 INCHES 1984 1.15 INCHES 2002 1.56 INCHES 1894 2.13 INCHES 1947 2.21 INCHES OTHER INTERESTING STATISTICS FOR DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES: ...THE MAXIMUM DAILY RAINFALL IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES DURING THE PAST WATER YEAR WAS ONLY 0.79 INCHES...OCCURRING ON NOVEMBER 24TH. NO OTHER SEASON SINCE 1877 HAS HAD SUCH A LOW MAXIMUM DAILY RAINFALL. ...IN THE WETTEST MONTH DURING THIS PAST SEASON...NOVEMBER 2001...1.42 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED. NO OTHER SEASON SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1877 HAS HAD SUCH A LOW MAXIMUM MONTHLY RAINFALL. ...THIS PAST SEASON WAS ONE OF ONLY FIVE SEASONS SINCE 1877 WHICH DID NOT HAVE ANY DAYS ON WHICH AN INCH OR MORE OF RAIN WAS REPORTED. ...RAINFALL TOTALING A HALF INCH (0.50) OR MORE OF RAIN WAS RECEIVED ON JUST TWO DAYS THIS PAST SEASON...1947-1948 HAD AS FEW DAYS WITH A HALF INCH OR MORE OF RAIN. ...RAINFALL TOTALING A QUARTER OF AN INCH (0.25 INCHES) OR MORE OF RAIN WAS RECEIVED ON JUST 6 DAYS THIS PAST RAIN SEASON. ONLY TWO SEASONS...1898-1899 AND 1970-1971...HAD FEWER SUCH DAYS. RAINFALL DURING THE PAST SEASON WAS WELL BELOW NORMAL ACROSS MOST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. MOST STATIONS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY RECEIVED BETWEEN 25 AND 35 PERCENT OF THE NORMAL RAINFALL FOR THE SEASON. HOWEVER...LONG BEACH AIRPORT WAS DRIER STILL. THE AIRPORT RECEIVED A PALTRY 1.89 INCHES OF RAIN FOR THE SEASON...WHICH WAS JUST 15 PERCENT OF NORMAL. NOT SURPRISINGLY...THIS WAS THE DRIEST SEASON ON RECORD FOR LONG BEACH AIRPORT...FAR DRIER THAN THE PREVIOUS RECORD...WHICH WAS 3.20 INCHES SET IN THE 1960-1961 SEASON. RAINFALL WAS SOMEWHAT CLOSER TO NORMAL ACROSS SANTA BARBARA AND SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES...WHICH REPORTED RAINFALL GENERALLY BETWEEN 50 AND 65 PERCENT OF NORMAL. RAINFALL COMPARISONS FOR SELECTED LOCATIONS ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: THESE ARE PRELIMINARY TOTALS... LOCATION RAINFALL NORMAL RAINFALL % OF NORMAL ---------------------------------------------------------------- LA COUNTY LONG BEACH AIRPORT 1.89 INCHES 12.94 INCHES 15 % L.A. DOWNTOWN 4.42 INCHES 15.14 INCHES 29 % CANOGA PARK 5.09 INCHES 17.79 INCHES 29 % PALMDALE 2.22 INCHES 7.36 INCHES 30 % L.A. AIRPORT 4.16 INCHES 13.15 INCHES 32 % BURBANK 5.52 INCHES 17.49 INCHES 32 % MOUNT WILSON 13.16 INCHES 40.37 INCHES 33 % VENTURA COUNTY OJAI 8.03 INCHES 21.79 INCHES 37 % OXNARD 6.24 INCHES 15.62 INCHES 40 % VENTURA 6.91 INCHES 15.35 INCHES 45 % SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SANTA MARIA 6.48 INCHES 14.01 INCHES 46 % SANTA BARBARA 9.16 INCHES 18.58 INCHES 49 % SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY PASO ROBLES 8.36 INCHES 14.71 INCHES 57 % SAN LUIS OBISPO 15.94 INCHES 24.36 INCHES 65 % * SINCE RECORDS HAVE BEEN KEPT IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES FROM 1877 THROUGH JUNE 2002 THE AVERAGE PER YEAR IS 14.92 INCHES. ** RAIN IS TOTAL AMOUNT MEASURED FROM JULY 1 2001 THROUGH JUNE 30 2002. *** NORMAL IS BASED ON 30 YEAR PERIOD FROM 1971 TO 2000 AND FOR THE DAYS OF JULY 1 THROUGH JUNE 30. $$ KAPLAN/BRUNO/GOMBERG