PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NOUS46 KLOX 011122
PNSLOX
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
420 AM PDT FRI JUL 1 2005
...THE SECOND WETTEST RAINFALL SEASON IN LOS ANGELES HAS COME TO AN
END...
THE 2004-2005 RAINFALL SEASON BROUGHT 37.25 INCHES OF RAIN TO
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES AT USC...MAKING IT THE SECOND WETTEST SEASON IN
LOS ANGELES SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1877...AND THE WETTEST IN 121
YEARS. THE MOST RAIN TO FALL IN LOS ANGELES DURING A RAIN SEASON...
WAS 38.18 INCHES DURING THE 1883-1884 SEASON. THE AVERAGE RAINFALL
IN A SEASON IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (MEASURED FROM JULY 1 TO JUNE 30
THE FOLLOWING YEAR) IS 15.14 INCHES. RAINFALL SEASONS IN LOS ANGELES
CAN BE HIGHLY VARIABLE. TO WIT...RAINFALL IN THE 2001-2002 SEASON...
JUST THREE SEASONS AGO...TOTALLED A MERE 4.42 INCHES.
THIS REMARKABLE RAINFALL SEASON HAS PRODUCED THE SECOND WETTEST
OCTOBER ON RECORD...THE SECOND WETTEST DECEMBER ON RECORD...THE
SEVENTH WETTEST JANUARY ON RECORD...AND THE SIXTH WETTEST FEBRUARY ON
RECORD. IT IS ALSO THE FIRST SEASON IN HISTORY DURING WHICH EIGHT
INCHES OR MORE OF RAIN HAS BEEN RECORDED IN THREE SEPARATE MONTHS. IN
THIS CASE...THOSE MONTHS WERE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS...DECEMBER...JANUARY
AND FEBRUARY...MARKING THE WETTEST SUCH COMBINATION WITH 29.11
INCHES OF RAIN. HOWEVER...THE WETTEST THREE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS IN
HISTORY WERE FEBRUARY...MARCH...AND APRIL OF 1884...WHEN 29.31
INCHES OF RAIN FELL.
IN ADDITION...THE 15 DAY PERIOD FROM DECEMBER 27 2004 THROUGH
JANUARY 10 2005...DURING WHICH 16.97 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED...
WAS THE WETTEST CONSECUTIVE 15 DAY PERIOD EVER IN DOWNTOWN LOS
ANGELES. ON THE SECOND DAY OF THAT STRETCH...DECEMBER 28 2004...5.55
INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED...THE MOST RAIN ON ANY CALENDAR DAY IN
DECEMBER...AND THE THIRD MOST ON ANY DAY IN HISTORY.
HERE ARE THE MONTHLY TOTALS IN INCHES FOR THIS RAIN YEAR...THE
30-YEAR NORMAL RAINFALL (1971-2000)...THE PERCENTAGE OF NORMAL
RAIN...AND COMPARISONS WITH THE WETTEST ON RECORD...THE 1883-1884
SEASON.
2004-2005 30-YEAR NORMAL % OF NORMAL 1883-1884
-----------------------------------------------------
JUL `04 TRACE 0.01 0 % 0.00
AUG `04 0.00 0.13 0 % 0.00
SEP `04 TRACE 0.32 0 % 0.00
OCT `04 4.56 0.37 1232 % 1.42
NOV `04 0.20 1.05 21 % 0.00
DEC `04 8.77 1.91 459 % 2.56
JAN `05 9.32 3.33 280 % 3.15
FEB `05 11.02 3.68 299 % 13.37
MAR `05 2.14 3.14 68 % 12.36
APR `05 1.05 0.83 127 % 3.58
MAY `05 0.19 0.31 61 % 0.35
JUN `05 0.00 0.06 0 % 1.39
----------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL 37.25 15.14 246 % 38.18
HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS VERY ACTIVE RAINFALL SEASON.
***JULY...AUGUST...SEPTEMBER 2004***
THE WEATHER IN LOS ANGELES WAS TYPICALLY DRY IN JULY...AUGUST AND
SEPTEMBER OF 2004...AND NO MEASURABLE RAIN WAS RECORDED AT THE USC
SITE.
***OCTOBER 2004***
A COUPLE OF EARLY SEASON STORMS SMASHED INTO THE AREA IN OCTOBER. ON
OCTOBER 19TH AND 20TH...A STRONG STORM SYSTEM MOVED THROUGH SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA...BRINGING THE FIRST HEAVY RAINS TO THE REGION. A DAILY
RAINFALL RECORD WAS SET IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ON THE 19TH...WHEN
0.79 INCHES OF RAIN FELL...WITH ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OF 1.41 INCHES
ON THE 20TH. STORM TOTALS THROUGH THE 20TH WERE AS HIGH AS 3 TO 6
INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA...WITH LOCAL TOTALS
UP TO 14 INCHES ON SOUTH FACING SLOPES IN THE FOOTHILLS AND
MOUNTAINS. DUE TO THE WILDFIRE OUTBREAK OF OCTOBER 2003...THE LACK OF
VEGETATION HELPED TO CAUSE SOME FLASH FLOODING IN THE BURN AREAS.
ONE FLASH FLOOD RELATED FATALITY OCCURRED WITH THIS STORM.
A SECOND STORM SYSTEM SWEPT INTO THE AREA ON THE 26TH AND 27TH. THIS
STORM BROUGHT 1.62 INCHES OF RAIN TO DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. WITH A
TOTAL OF 4.56 INCHES OF RAIN...OCTOBER 2004 BECAME THE SECOND
WETTEST ON RECORD...BEHIND OCTOBER 1889 WHEN 6.96 INCHES OF RAIN
FELL.
***NOVEMBER 2004***
NOVEMBER WAS A DRY MONTH IN LOS ANGELES...WITH JUST TWO TENTHS OF AN
INCH OF RAIN (0.20)...WELL BELOW THE AVERAGE RAINFALL OF OVER AN
INCH.
***DECEMBER 2004***
THE FIRST 26 DAYS IN DECEMBER IN LOS ANGELES WERE RELATIVELY DRY...
WITH 0.62 INCHES OF RAIN RECORDED...ON TRACK TO BECOME A DRIER THAN
NORMAL MONTH. THINGS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY AFTER THAT. TWO VERY WET
STORM SYSTEMS ROLLED THROUGH THE AREA AT THE TAIL END OF THE MONTH.
THE FIRST MAJOR STORM OF THE MONTH BEGAN IN LOS ANGELES ON THE 27TH
AND CONTINUED THROUGH THE 29TH. THIS STORM PRODUCED 6.84 INCHES OF
RAIN IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES...WITH A WHOPPING 5.55 INCHES ON THE
28TH ALONE. THAT 5.55 INCH TOTAL WAS THE WETTEST CALENDAR DAY EVER
RECORDED IN DECEMBER...AND THE THIRD WETTEST CALENDAR DAY EVER. BY
THE WAY...THE WETTEST CALENDAR DAY EVER IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES WAS
MARCH 2ND 1938...WITH 5.88 INCHES.
ALSO ON THE 28TH...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT
PRODUCED HAIL AND EVEN A COUPLE OF WEAK TORNADOES ACROSS SOUTHERN
LOS ANGELES COUNTY...WITH DAMAGE REPORTED IN THE COMMUNITIES OF
INGLEWOOD AND LADERA HEIGHTS.
ON THE 31ST OF DECEMBER...ANOTHER MAJOR STORM AFFECTED THE REGION...
BRINGING 1.31 INCHES TO DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ON THAT DAY. THAT
BROUGHT THE MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTAL FOR DECEMBER IN LOS ANGELES TO
8.77 INCHES...THE SECOND WETTEST ON RECORD. INTERESTINGLY...THE
WETTEST DECEMBER ON RECORD...DECEMBER 1889...WAS ALSO THE WETTEST
SINGLE MONTH IN LOS ANGELES...RECEIVING 15.80 INCHES OF RAIN.
***JANUARY 2005***
THE STRETCH OF WET WEATHER THAT BEGAN ON DECEMBER 27TH 2004
CONTINUED THROUGH THE 11TH OF JANUARY 2005. ONLY FOUR OF THOSE DAYS
WERE DRY...INCLUDING NEW YEARS DAY. NEW YEARS DAY WAS DRY AS WELL IN
NEARBY PASADENA FOR THE ROSE BOWL PARADE...WHICH HAS LED A CHARMED
LIFE SINCE IT WAS LAST RAINED ON IN 1955...WITH DRY WEATHER DURING
THE PARADE EVERY YEAR SINCE.
ON JANUARY 2ND THROUGH THE 4TH...A STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT 1 TO 4
INCHES OF RAIN TO MOST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA...INCLUDING 2.15
INCHES TO DOWNTOWN. NO RAIN WAS RECORDED DOWNTOWN ON THE 5TH AND
6TH.
THE LAST AND MOST POWERFUL STORM OF THE SERIES OF FOUR WHICH BEGAN
ON DECEMBER 27TH 2004...SLAMMED INTO THE AREA ON JANUARY 7TH AND
CONTINUED THROUGH THE 11TH. THIS POWERHOUSE OF A STORM BROUGHT AN
AVERAGE OF 4 TO 8 INCHES TO COASTAL AND VALLEY AREAS OF SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA...WITH 10 TO 20 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS. SOME OF THE
SOUTH FACING MOUNTAIN SLOPES HAD UP TO 30 INCHES OF RAIN. THIS
TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RAINFALL RESULTED IN WIDESPREAD FLASH FLOODING
AND RIVER FLOODING THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THIS STORM SYSTEM
ALSO PRODUCED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA...WITH A WEAK
TORNADO REPORTED IN EL RIO BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS AROUND
DAYBREAK ON THE 10TH.
NUMEROUS LANDSLIDES RESULTED FROM THIS STORM...ONE OF WHICH
UNFORTUNATELY LED TO 10 DEATHS IN THE VENTURA COUNTY COMMUNITY
OF LA CONCHITA DURING THE AFTERNOON OF THE 10TH.
DURING THE 15 DAY PERIOD FROM DECEMBER 27 2004 THROUGH JANUARY 10,
2005...16.97 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES...
THE WETTEST CONSECUTIVE 15 DAY PERIOD EVER. AMAZINGLY...MORE RAIN
FELL DURING THAT 15 DAY STRETCH THAN IS NORMALLY RECEIVED DURING THE
ENTIRE 365 DAY RAIN YEAR.
THROUGH THE FIRST 11 DAYS OF JANUARY...DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES RECEIVED
8.98 INCHES OF RAIN. A DAILY RAINFALL RECORD WAS RECORDED ON THE
9TH...WHEN 2.58 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. THE REMAINDER OF JANUARY WAS
MUCH MORE TRANQUIL ACROSS THE REGION...AND JUST 0.34 INCHES OF RAIN
WAS REPORTED DOWNTOWN. TOTAL RAINFALL FOR MONTH WAS 9.32 INCHES...
MAKING IT THE 7TH WETTEST JANUARY ON RECORD.
***FEBRUARY 2005***
HEAVY RAINS RETURNED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BY THE MIDDLE OF THE
MONTH. THE FIRST NOTEWORTHY STORM OF THE MONTH BEGAN LATE ON THE
10TH AND CONTINUED THROUGH THE 12TH. DURING THIS TIME...2.31 INCHES
OF RAIN WAS RECORDED IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES...WITH A DAILY RECORD
OF 2.12 INCHES ON THE 11TH.
A SECOND...MORE IMPORTANT STRETCH OF WET WEATHER PLAGUED THE AREA
FROM THE 17TH THROUGH THE 23RD. DURING THIS PERIOD...AN AVERAGE OF 5
TO 10 INCHES FELL ACROSS COASTAL AND VALLEY AREAS OF LOS ANGELES...
VENTURA AND SANTA BARBARA COUNTIES...INCLUDING 8.71 INCHES IN
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. IN THE MOUNTAINS...AN AVERAGE OF 10 TO 20
INCHES WAS REPORTED.
FLOODING OF MAINSTEM RIVERS AND SMALLER STREAMS DID ACCOMPANY THIS
RAINFALL BUT WAS GENERALLY NOT QUITE AS SEVERE AS THAT WHICH OCCURRED
IN JANUARY. A PORTION OF THE RUNWAY AT THE SANTA PAULA AIRPORT IN
VENTURA COUNTY WAS WASHED INTO THE SANTA CLARA RIVER. NUMEROUS
MUDSLIDES AND LANDSLIDES CONTINUED TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY
DAMAGE ACROSS THE AREA.
EVEN THOUGH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTED PORTIONS OF THE AREA
ON THE 24TH AND 25TH...NO MEASURABLE RAIN WAS RECORDED IN DOWNTOWN
LOS ANGELES AFTER THE 23RD. ALL TOTALED...11.02 INCHES OF RAIN
FELL IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY...MAKING IT THE 6TH WETTEST ON RECORD.
***MARCH 2005***
AFTER THREE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS OF WELL ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL IN
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES...EACH OF WHICH PRODUCED IN EXCESS OF EIGHT
INCHES OF RAIN...MARCH BROUGHT BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL TO LOS
ANGELES.
A RELATIVELY MINOR STORM SYSTEM AFFECTED THE AREA ON THE 4TH...BUT
RAINFALL TOTALS WERE MOSTLY ONE INCH OF LESS. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
STORM OF THE MONTH AFFECTED THE REGION ON THE 21ST AND 22ND. ALTHOUGH
TOTAL RAINFALL FROM THIS SYSTEM WAS NOT AS GREAT AS STORMS EARLIER IN
THE YEAR...LOCAL HIGH INTENSITY RAINS BROUGHT FLASH FLOODING TO THE
SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS AND THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHERN SANTA BARBARA
COUNTY. SADLY...THE FLASH FLOODING DIRECTLY RESULTED IN THE DEATHS
OF TWO PEOPLE AS THEIR AUTOMOBILE WAS SWEPT INTO THE GAVIOTA CREEK
IN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY.
RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH IN LOS ANGELES TOTALED 2.14
INCHES...EXACTLY ONE INCH BELOW NORMAL. NO DAILY RAINFALL RECORDS
WERE SET IN LOS ANGELES IN MARCH.
***APRIL 2005***
FOR THE MOST PART...APRIL WAS DRY UNTIL A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM
PUSHED THROUGH THE AREA ON THE 28TH. THIS SYSTEM BROUGHT ANYWHERE
FROM ONE HALF INCH TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN TO THE AREA...
MOST OF WHICH FELL IN A COUPLE OF HOURS NEAR DAYBREAK. DOWNTOWN LOS
ANGELES RECEIVED 1.02 INCHES OF RAIN ON THE 28TH...A DAILY RECORD...
WITH AROUND THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH FALLING IN JUST ONE HOUR. THIS
WAS BY FAR THE LION`S SHARE OF THE 1.05 INCHES OF RAIN WHICH FELL IN
LOS ANGELES DURING APRIL.
***MAY 2005***
ONE STORM SYSTEM MOVED THROUGH THE AREA ON MAY 5TH...BRINGING
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. RAINFALL
TOTALS WERE VERY VARIABLE...WITH SOME LOCATIONS IN THE SAN GABRIEL
VALLEY AND THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MOUNTAINS REPORTING OVER AN INCH
OF RAIN. EVEN SOME AREAS WITHIN A FEW MILES OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
RECEIVED MORE THAN ONE HALF INCH OF RAIN. HOWEVER...ONLY 0.01 INCHES
OF RAIN WAS REPORTED IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. A WEAK STORM SYSTEM
BROUGHT 0.18 INCHES OF RAIN TO DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES ON THE 9TH...
BRINGING THE TOTAL RAINFALL FOR MAY TO 0.19 INCHES. THIS WAS THE
LAST MEASURABLE RAINFALL OF THE SEASON IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.
***JUNE 2005***
NO MEASURABLE RAIN WAS RECORDED ACROSS THE AREA...A TAME
END TO A WILD SEASON.
----------------------------------------------------------------
SOME 2004-2005 SEASONAL RAINFALL TOTALS FROM AROUND SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA (IN INCHES)
2004/2005 30-YEAR NORM %NORMAL
---------- ------------ --------
***SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY***
PASO ROBLES (AIRPORT) 22.38 13.09 171%
SAN LUIS OBISPO (CAL POLY) 40.03 24.36 164%
***SANTA BARBARA COUNTY***
SANTA MARIA 19.52 14.01 139%
SANTA BARBARA (AIRPORT) 31.17 16.93 184%
JUNCAL DAM 75.09 31.15 241%
***VENTURA COUNTY***
CAMARILLO 28.45 15.56 183%
***LOS ANGELES COUNTY***
LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN (USC) 37.25 15.14 246%
LOS ANGELES AIRPORT 26.51 13.15 202%
LONG BEACH 29.37 12.94 227%
BURBANK 35.48 17.49 203%
PALMDALE (AIRPORT) 16.39 7.36 223%
SANDBERG 31.27 12.60 248%
IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT SOME UNOFFICIAL REPORTING STATIONS IN THE
MOUNTAINS OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES REPORTED OVER 100
INCHES OF RAIN FOR THE SEASON.
THE 2004-2005 SEASONAL RAINFALL TOTAL AT DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES OF
37.25 INCHES WAS QUITE IMPRESSIVE. CONSIDER THE YEARLY RAINFALL
AVERAGES FOR THE FOLLOWING CITIES AND SOME ACTUAL TOTALS FROM WEST
COAST CITIES THIS RAIN SEASON. (IN INCHES)
30-YEAR NORMAL JULY 2004-JUNE 2005
-------------- --------------------
SEATTLE 37.10 34.24
PORTLAND 36.30 30.45
EUREKA 38.10 44.41
SAN FRANCISCO (AIRPORT) 20.10 27.13
SACRAMENTO 19.87 24.53
HONOLULU 18.29 30.51
CHICAGO 36.27
WASHINGTON D.C. 41.80
KEY WEST 38.94
$$
BRUNO/KAPLAN/LABER
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