2013: What Seems to be Los Angeles' Driest Year on Record

This Christmas, residents and tourists alike in Southern California received an unusual gift: 80 degree weather. Such nearly record-breaking temperatures can be attributed to a high pressure system over the great basin, which created an offshore flow that funneled hot air into the southland. 

However, this calendar year has been dubbed "LA's Driest" with only 3.60 inches of rain, far below the yearly average of 14.91 inches. According to the National Weather Service, the current (soon to be former) driest calendar year on record tied between 1953 and 1947, when only 4.08 inches of rain fell on downtown LA.

Fortunately, this "rainfall year" which began July first  and will culminate on June 30th of next year, is not near the driest, the record-holder being the 2006-2007 rainfall year with only 3.21 inches of rain total. 

With Santa Ana winds and rising temperatures expected over the next few days, the fact that 2013 will be the driest calendar year on record for Los Angeles is becoming set in stone.

Monsoonal Moisture And Flash Flooding in LA County

I just took a video of my weather radio going off when the warning was issued.

With monsoonal moisture and triple-digit heat today in much of SoCal, nearly non moving storm-cells have been producing heavy rain in the mountains and in the Antelope Valley of LA County as well as throughout the desert areas. A flash flood warning was just issued for portions of the Antelope Valley due a thunderstorm producing heavy rainfall.

The National Weather Service stated that:

" FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...PORTIONS OF THE ANTELOPE VALLEY
INCLUDING LITTLE ROCK AND PEARBLOSSOM  AND THE ADJACENT NORTHERN
SLOPES OF THE SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS... UNTIL 830 PM PDT"

Storm System Reaches SoCal- 11/29/12

Update: Infrared satellite image as of:
 12/2/12 at 12:12 in the morning.
Second storm can be seen approaching Socal.
Image courtesy of NOAA.

Update: As of 12/9/12, the storm total rainfall in my location in Los Angeles was 1.22" of rain. 

Update: As of 12/1/12, the storm total rainfall for my location in Los Angeles is .92" of rain. Another storm is expected to reach LA tommorow.

The first substantial storm system of the season just entered SoCal. The National Weather Service forecasts the first system to reach the Los Angeles area tomorrow night, lasting through the week. A second part of the storm system is expected to reach the area Friday midday and a third on Saturday night. Between the systems, isolated showers are expected. As of 4pm on 11/29, my rain gauge in Del Rey, Los Angeles, CA, recorded .25" of rain, being the largest storm reaching my location this season. Rain is expected to continue through Monday.

The NWS states that:

 "A SERIES OF STORM SYSTEMS WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA THROUGH MONDAY MORNING... BRINGING PERIODS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL TO THE AREA. A MOIST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO GENERATE INTERMITTENT LIGHT SHOWERS TONIGHT FOLLOWED BY A PERIOD OF MODERATE PRECIPITATION THAT WILL BEGIN MIDDAY ON FRIDAY AND WILL CONTINUE INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. ANOTHER PERIOD OF HEAVIER PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN LATE ON SATURDAY CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. AT THIS TIME...THE STORM SYSTEM ON SUNDAY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE THE STRONGEST AND WETTEST."

11/30/12 Image courtesy of NOAA

"FOR COASTAL AND VALLEY AREAS... RAINFALL TOTALS THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT WILL RANGE FROM ONE TO THREE INCHES ACROSS SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY DOWN TO ONE QUARTER TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH ACROSS LOS ANGELES COUNTY. IN THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS...UPSLOPE FLOW WILL GENERATE HIGHER TOTALS RANGING FROM THREE TO FIVE INCHES ACROSS SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY DOWN TO A HALF TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES ACROSS LOS ANGELES COUNTY."

For more information on the storm, as well as the forecast for your location, visit: www.weather.gov

Wacky Weather in West LA- 11/10/12

Clouds Looking West
(Image Property of Socal Earth Science Blog)

November 10, 2012: just before 5pm a small row of clouds, passed through the LA Basin on a perfectly sunny and otherwise cloudless day. In my location, just north of Playa Vista, a period of light rainfall and drizzle occurred for approximately twenty minutes. Only a trace of rain was recorded in my rain gauge.

El Nino Watch Issued- What is El Nino?

Courtesy of the NWS

UPDATE 12/9/12: The NWS now forecasts only Neutral conditions

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association have gone into El Nino Watch, which means that El Nino Conditions are likely in the near future (this winter). El Nino is when the Pacific Ocean near South America is experiencing warmer than average temperatures, while La Nina is when the temperatures of the Pacific Ocean near South America are cooler than average.

Courtesy of the NWS

Well, you may ask, how do El Nino and La Nina affect SoCal?

During La Nina conditions, the the Pacific Northwest often receives a large amount of rainfall and cool temperatures during the winter, while SoCal usually stays dry (leads to drought when La Nina lingers for long periods of time).

During El Nino conditions, the southern part of the United States (including SoCal), receives above average amounts of rainfall with an increased probability of severe weather. This is because the Pacific Jet Stream hovers over the southern part of the United States (instead of being more variable) bringing more storms systems south to SoCal.

So this winter, if you live in SoCal, prepare for cooler temperatures and more rain, this winter.

Information retrieved from:
www.noaawatch.gov