When winter-season Canadian cold air masses drop unusually far southward, "Gulf lows" can develop in or near the Gulf of Mexico, then track eastward or northeastward across the Southern states, or nearby Gulf or South Atlantic waters.
The map of California shows how this water year’s precipitationcompares to what has been observed historically. The chart below provides a summary of California’s current statewide precipitation statistics.
- The source data for this page comes from https://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/awipsProducts/RNORR4RSA.php and is converted to the Californiarainfallseason (July 1 to Jun 30) that meteorologists use, from the Water Year (Oct 1 to Sep 30) that hydrologists use.
· The chart above illustrates precipitation recorded in cities across California over water years, tracked from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
Historical cumulative and daily rainfalltotals back to the 1997/1998 season when the automated rain gauge was installed. Click on a chart to download as a pdf file.
2 days ago · We are in great shape for our water year so far after last week's intense storms brought major jumps in rainfall, reservoir, and snowpack levels across the state.
California's wetseason started with a bang, or at least a drizzle, as rain pitter-pattered on the BayArea last week. But the state's water experts say at this time of year, they still have to prepare for floods, drought or even both. Oct.
How is thiswinter faring comparedto last year's season? Recently, residents spanning all across California, from the Klamath Mountains in the north to desert regions in the south, have been plagued with rounds of storms and wet conditions.
Far from being unusuallywet, rainfalltotalsthiswinterseasonfor the BayArea and much of Northern California have been just about normal. On Tuesday, Oakland was at 100 percent of its historicalaverage for precipitation on that date.
What Winter’s Dry Spell Means forCalifornia’s Fire Season. Thiswinter’s extreme rainfall and dryness might average out to near-normal levels of precipitation. But that’s no insurance policy against fire, scientists say.
California’s climate since A.D. 1850 has been unusually stable and benign, comparedto climate variations during the previous 2,000 or more years. Thus, climate variations in California’s future may be even more (perhaps much more) challenging than those of the past 100 years.
So much rainfell that season that California's second-largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, spilled over its brim.The early wet start to California's rain-and-snow season also doesn't necessarily mean "it's going to be wet through the whole winter," Gottschalck said.
Yet another storm is expected to arrive Tuesday to spray the BayArea with more wet weather and dampen commutes.Tuesday’s storm is connected to another atmospheric river, which brings subtropical moisture into California from the waters south of Hawaii.
An unusuallywet spring weather system is forecast to impact our area later this week. Preliminary forecast raintotals from Tuesday night thru Friday range from 0.5-1.5 inches. Most of that rain expected Wed.
How do I know if my winterrain is normal? Comparethiswinter’s totalrainfall to the official 30-year “Climate Normal” for your specific location. You can find this data for free on websites from NOAA or the National Weather Service (NWS).
The rain isn’t isolated to Los Angeles. A NWS San Diego forecast shows rain expected through tonight for Orange and southwestern San Bernardino counties.
· A summary of precipitation since midnight, currentseasonaltotals (since October 1), and comparison to last year's seasonaltotals. Precipitationtotals are ending at 4 PM PST.
3 days ago · After a series of powerful winter storms, rainfalltotals over the Christmas week surpassed the amount recorded during the same period last year.
But, as I’ll discuss below, significant El Niño events do have a meaningful influence on the risk of experiencing unusuallywet conditions in Californiaduring our canonical winter “wetseason.”
Meanwhile, rainfalltotals in parts of the state are mediocre. In the BayArea, for example, San Francisco has received 6.3 inches of rain, or 71% of its historicaverage for this date. San Jose is at 62% and Oakland is at 54%.
