Thursday, February 04, 2016

An Average Winter, So Far


The long-range weather forecasts are showing the first half of February will be dry, and the second half of the month will be wet.

At Sacramento Executive Airport, rainfall totals are 90% of average. (For the months of October through January, rainfall totals are: 0.12 + 1.57 + 1.75 + 5.44 = 8.88 inches, when 0.95 + 2.05 + 3.25 + 3.64 = 9.92 inches is normal.) In this 2-week dry spell, we will slip away a bit from the 90% mark, with some catching up later.

This winter, so far, has shaped up as surprisingly normal. Not enough to conclusively break the drought, for sure, but a better experience than in our immediate past. Things are still unusually dry near Los Angeles and in the Imperial Valley.

People expected El NiƱo to rule the California winter - some people still do - but it's important to remember that California is pretty far from the Equator. What happens near the Equator influences our weather, but doesn't determine it.

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