Great soaking rain across much of California and we will see many rainfall season-to-date percent of normal rainfall jump significantly. Some to above normal. (see http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/awipsProducts/RNOWRKCLI.php which is reissued daily at 6 PM). This is all good and every inch of rain helps ease the drought.
But, looking at the broader picture of the deficits from the last 3 seasons (2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14) shows what a long uphill battle it will be. For example, the 3-season deficit for San Francisco at the beginning of the rainfall season was 26.07 inches. If you add that to the 23.65 inches needed for this season to ultimately reach normal we would need 49.73 inches to be at "normal". The all-time rainiest season in SF history was 1861-62 when there was 49.27". Or for every 1 inch of rain in San Francisco we will only erase about 3% of this long term deficit!
Below is a table of the rainfall to date (through 6 pm last night) for the combined last 3 seasons plus this season-to-date, thge deficit and the percent of normal.
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|
3+ seasons to date |
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|
|
Rain |
Normal |
Deficit |
% Normal |
|
...Northern California... |
|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
Crescent City |
161.95 |
208.18 |
-46.23 |
78% |
|
Eureka |
105.93 |
130.18 |
-24.25 |
81% |
|
Ukiah |
79.01 |
119.21 |
-40.20 |
66% |
|
Redding |
79.23 |
111.53 |
-32.30 |
71% |
|
Sacramento Exec Airport |
39.46 |
59.02 |
-19.56 |
67% |
|
Sacramento - Csus |
42.23 |
64.77 |
-22.54 |
65% |
|
Santa Rosa |
69.81 |
116.13 |
-46.32 |
60% |
|
San Francisco |
48.27 |
75.63 |
-27.36 |
64% |
|
SFO Int'L Airport |
37.75 |
65.60 |
-27.85 |
58% |
|
Oakland Airport |
41.68 |
66.44 |
-24.76 |
63% |
|
Livermore |
28.37 |
50.31 |
-21.94 |
56% |
|
Mountain View - Moffett |
25.31 |
46.59 |
-21.28 |
54% |
|
San Jose |
25.43 |
47.63 |
-22.20 |
53% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
...Central California... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stockton |
27.96 |
45.05 |
-17.09 |
62% |
|
Modesto |
26.85 |
41.70 |
-14.85 |
64% |
|
Merced |
21.34 |
39.82 |
-18.48 |
54% |
|
Madera |
21.59 |
38.40 |
-16.81 |
56% |
|
Fresno |
19.72 |
36.43 |
-16.71 |
54% |
|
Hanford |
13.05 |
32.03 |
-18.98 |
41% |
|
Bakersfield |
11.15 |
20.49 |
-9.34 |
54% |
|
Salinas |
27.40 |
40.72 |
-13.32 |
67% |
|
Paso Robles |
19.49 |
40.36 |
-20.87 |
48% |
|
Santa Maria |
21.75 |
44.02 |
-22.27 |
49% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
...Southern California... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sandberg |
16.18 |
38.63 |
-22.45 |
42% |
|
Palmdale |
10.00 |
26.74 |
-16.74 |
37% |
|
Lancaster |
8.57 |
23.48 |
-14.91 |
36% |
|
Santa Barbara |
29.01 |
56.10 |
-27.09 |
52% |
|
Camarillo |
19.44 |
47.87 |
-28.43 |
41% |
|
Burbank - Bob Hope |
20.90 |
54.34 |
-33.44 |
38% |
|
LAX Int'L Airport |
19.80 |
40.47 |
-20.67 |
49% |
|
Los Angeles / Usc |
21.40 |
46.83 |
-25.43 |
46% |
|
Long Beach |
19.88 |
38.69 |
-18.81 |
51% |
|
Fullerton |
17.60 |
43.86 |
-26.26 |
40% |
|
Irvine - John Wayne |
15.19 |
42.31 |
-27.12 |
36% |
|
Oceanside |
19.88 |
43.25 |
-23.37 |
46% |
|
Ramona |
28.85 |
50.64 |
-21.79 |
57% |
|
San Diego - Lindbergh |
20.04 |
32.84 |
-12.80 |
61% |
|
Ontario |
20.57 |
47.49 |
-26.92 |
43% |
|
Riverside |
13.17 |
38.91 |
-25.74 |
34% |
|
Palm Springs |
7.73 |
19.15 |
-11.42 |
40% |
|
Thermal |
5.97 |
10.64 |
-4.67 |
56% |
|
Campo |
29.78 |
50.56 |
-20.78 |
59% |
Jan Null, CCM
Golden Gate Weather Services