Weathernotes Archive May 2007

Driest Year on Record Appears Likely.
Weathernotes for Wednesday, May 30, 2007.
(Any updates will be found at the end of this discussion. Last month's notes are archived here.)

There's a little drizzle around the Los Angeles area this morning, but it would take much more than a light mist to make up the nearly one foot deficit in Los Angeles rainfall. Los Angeles' rainfall total remains at 3.21 inches for a water year that began on July 1, 2006 and will end June 30, 2007. Normal rainfall would be 15.14 inches.

If Los Angeles (USC) receives less than 1.21 inches of rain between now and June 30th, this water year (July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007) will become the driest since recordkeeping began in 1877. According to the NWS, the average rainfall in Los Angeles in the month of June is 0.06 inches, so a new record dry water year appears likely. This would break the record of 4.42 inches set in the water year of 2001-2002.

Looking back through NWS records, 3.21 inches is the total amount of rain recorded in Downtown Los Angeles from May 23, 2006 through May 29, 2007 — a period of more than year. Given that our rain season is essentially over, this amount of rainfall — or a few hundredths more — may be all that is recorded over a period of 17-18 months!

Ironically, Los Angeles experienced its second wettest water year just two years ago, when 37.25 inches of rain was recorded.

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