Guest happ Posted December 8, 2014 Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 California’s Drought Ranks Worst in at Least 1,200 Years By Tom Randall - Bloomberg Record rains fell in California this week. They're not enough to change the course of what scientists are now calling the region's worst drought in at least 1,200 years.Just how bad has California's drought been? Modern measurements already showed it's been drier than the 1930s dustbowl, worse than the historic droughts of the 1970s and 1980s. But new research shows it's even worse than we thought. The last time California experienced a drought this bad predates Viking conquests in Europe.To put the drought in its historical context, researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the University of Minnesota consulted one of the longest records available: tree rings. Tighter rings mean drier years, and by working with California's exceptionally old trees they were able to reconstruct a chronology of drought in southern and central California. They identified 37 droughts that lasted three years or more going back to the year 800.None were as extreme as the conditions we're seeing now.One of the oddities of this drought is that conditions aren't just driven by a lack of rainfall. There have been plenty of droughts in the past with less precipitation. (The drought of 1527 to 1529, for example, was killer.) What makes this drought exception is the heat. Arid soil conditions today have been compounded by heat. Extreme heat.Higher temperatures increase evaporation and help deplete reservoirs and groundwater. The California heat this year is like nothing ever seen in modern temperature records. The chart above shows average year-to-date temperatures in the state from January through October for each year since 1895.The drought has withered pastures and forced farmers to uproot orchards and fallow farmland. The drought may cost California $2.2 billion this year, with 17,100 jobs lost and 428,000 acres of land left unplanted. Tensions are still running high between farmers and salmon fishers, who rely on the same waters. Young salmon even qualified for migration assistance this year -- via tanker truck -- when river levels were too low to make the swim.The effects of prolonged drought are cumulative. Maps from the U.S. Drought Monitor below show the worsening of conditions over the last three years.More than half of the state remains in "exceptional drought" (crimson). It's a distinction marked by crop and pasture losses and water shortages that fall within the top two percentiles. Record rainfalls recorded across the state, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, did little to overcome the state's moisture deficit, the National Drought Mitigation Center reported yesterday.The tree-ring study, published this week by the American Geophysical Union, combined recent tree-ring samples with a longer tree-ring database known as the North American Drought Atlas developed by scientists at Columbia University. The study compares precipitation measurements as well as soil-moisture estimates known as the Palmer Drought Severity Index.Three years isn't extremely unusual for a California drought. It happens roughly every three decades, according to the tree-ring study. But the accumulated severity of the last three years outweighs any periods that have come before -- even dry spells lasting up to nine years.California's "hot drought" is also a bad sign of times to come, according to the study's authors. The role of man-made climate change in the current drought is undetermined, they wrote, but as the planet continues to warm, more hot droughts "are assured."There's no sign yet that this drought is coming to an end. The region's rainy season has started strong, but there's still a lot of catch-up to do. More than a year's supply of water has gone missing in the state's reservoirs.It could take several unusually wet years to get things back to normal in California. The tree-ring study found that roughly half of the state's three-year droughts turn into four-year droughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 All eyes [at least in California] are on the developing low in the Gulf of Alaska that should produce another good soaking later in the week w/ perhaps another system early next week. Great 80 / 55 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Weatherman Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 All eyes [at least in California] are on the developing low in the Gulf of Alaska that should produce another good soaking later in the week w/ perhaps another system early next week. Great 80 / 55That would certainly be good news if both of those systems verify as forecast. The computer models have been fairly consistent in predicting this storm over the last few days, as they were with the last event, which raises confidence in that it will actually pan out. It really has been nice to turn off my sprinklers for a while (I did it before this last storm) and will likely not have to use them for a while yet! Meanwhile I am also collecting rainwater to water my potted plants, which is really good for the plants because it is more acidic than tap water. Tap water is made more alkaline so that it doesn't corrode the pipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGENATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA125 PM PST TUE DEC 9 2014CAZ068-069-101200-/O.UPG.KSTO.WS.A.0008.141211T0200Z-141213T0200Z//O.NEW.KSTO.BZ.W.0001.141211T0600Z-141212T2100Z/WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK-WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA-125 PM PST TUE DEC 9 2014...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM WEDNESDAY TO 1 PM PSTFRIDAY ABOVE 6000 FEET...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARDWARNING ABOVE 6000 FEET...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM WEDNESDAYTO 1 PM PST FRIDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER INEFFECT.* IMPACTS:EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. PASSES MAY CLOSE FOR SEVERAL HOURS.* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 10 TO 20 INCHES ABOVE 6000 FEET WITH 2 TO 3 FEET OR MORE POSSIBLE ALONG THE CREST.* TIMING: SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY. THE PERIOD OF HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY NIGHT. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY.* SNOW LEVELS: SNOW LEVELS WILL INITIALLY BE ABOVE 6500 FEET LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY...LOWERING TO 4500 TO 5500 FEET THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY.* WIND: SOUTHERLY WINDS 25 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 80 MPH OR HIGHER WILL DEVELOP WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. WINDS DECREASE BY FRIDAY MORNING.* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: LASSEN NATIONAL PARK...DONNER PASS... ECHO SUMMIT...CARSON PASS.* FOR A DETAILED VIEW OF THE HAZARD AREA...VISIT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SACRAMENTO/HAZARDS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS AREEXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDSAND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUTCONDITIONS...MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT TRAVEL. IFYOU MUST TRAVEL...HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GETSTRANDED...STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.&&INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIAWWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWS.SACRAMENTOWWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSSACRAMENTO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 10, 2014 Report Share Posted December 10, 2014 Agree that if this pattern holds for several more months California could be out of the drought. NOAA has identified improving drought conditions over SoCal. Grass is popping up everywhere. 78 / 57 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halofromajo Posted December 10, 2014 Report Share Posted December 10, 2014 Agree that if this pattern holds for several more months California could be out of the drought. NOAA has identified improving drought conditions over SoCal. Grass is popping up everywhere. 78 / 57Unfortunately, this pattern will dry up after the system following this. But have no fear, it will return. The subtropical high moving east from the gulf of Mexico is going to cut off the subtropical jet feeding these pacific systems, but I THINK it will return sometime in January setting up another good round of storms to pound CA. Just a theory though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 10, 2014 Report Share Posted December 10, 2014 Checking 10am conditions shows that Seattle is as warm as Los Angeles; how often does that happen in December? 65 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 10, 2014 Report Share Posted December 10, 2014 NWS_SAN FRANCISCO NOW TO THE DETAILS... MAIN PACIFIC LOW AROUND 550 MILES WEST OF SEATTLE CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN THIS HOUR WITH A CENTRAL PRESSURE NOW DOWN TO 968 MB (COMPARED TO AROUND 975 MB JUST THREE HOURS AGO). ALONG AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT AN INTENSE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE -- POSSIBLY DOWN TO 973 MB -- WILL FORM AND HEAD TOWARD THE NORCAL/OREGON COASTAL AREA BY THURSDAY. THIS SECOND LOW WILL PRODUCE A VERY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT (UP TO 15 MB FROM SFO TO ACV) HELPING TO INCREASE SOUTHERLY WINDS THROUGH THE DAY. AT THE SAME TIME VERY MOIST (PW VALUES POSSIBLY IN EXCESS OF 1.50 INCHES) WILL BECOME ENTRAINED IN THE FLOW AND TAKE DIRECT AIM ALONG THE COAST. STEPPING BACK AND LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE JUST AT THE PW IS IMPRESSIVE AS IT CAN BE TRACED FAR TO THE WEST OF HAWAII WITH ITS DIRECT AIM RIGHT THROUGH OUR CWA. IN ADDITION...IT SHOWS NO SIGN OF DISSIPATING AS IT FOLLOWS THE FRONT TO THE SOUTH. KEEP IN MIND THAT PW VALUES THIS HIGH ARE AT THE 99TH PERCENTILE FOR DECEMBER AROUND HERE. OTHER PARAMETERS ARE JUST AS IMPRESSIVE INCLUDING THE ISENTROPIC FLOW AN AMAZING 60 TO 80 KTS FROM THE SW. ALL SIGNS POINT TO A BIG 1 DAY RAIN EVENT FOR OUR ENTIRE CWA. RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THURSDAY SHOULD BE GENERALLY 1.5 TO 3 INCHES FOR URBAN SPOTS SOUTH OF THE NORTH BAY WITH LOCALLY 4 INCHES POSSIBLE. FOR THE NORTH BAY PLUS OTHER COASTAL RANGES 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE FORECAST WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS TO 8 INCHES. THE BIG THING TO REMEMBER IS MUCH OF THE RAIN WILL FALL AS THE FRONT GOES THROUGH SO RAIN RATES WILL BE VERY HIGH FOR AN HOUR OR TWO. THIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL HYDRO CONCERNS. FOR THE WINDS ALL OF THE GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO REMAIN VERY BULLISH WITH 925 MB SPEEDS 50 TO 70 KTS IN MOST LOCATIONS AS THE FRONT GOES THROUGH. JUST GOING OFF THE RAW ARW SURFACE SPEEDS SHOWS 30 TO 40 KT FOR MOST SPOTS. WOULD EXPECT URBAN LOCATIONS ON THURSDAY TO SEE WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH. HIGHER ELEVATION LOCATIONS COULD EASILY SEE GUSTS WELL OVER 70 MPH DURING THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. FINALLY...WORTH NOTING THAT CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS ARE A BIT MORE FAVORABLE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. IN ADDITION...THE VERY WARM BUOYS TEMPERATURES WILL HELP TO CREATE A MORE UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WHICH WOULD HELP WITH STORM DEVELOPMENT. IF WE END UP GETTING A THUNDERSTORM OVER AN URBAN AREA AS THE FRONT GOES THROUGH IT WOULD LIKELY LEAD TO A PERIOD OF EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN AND VERY STRONG WINDS LEADING TO ADDITIONAL HYDRO PROBLEMS. THIS WILL NEED TO BE VERY CLOSELY WATCHED ON THURSDAY. RAIN WILL SWITCH OVER TO SHOWERS BY THURSDAY NIGHT WITH A SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AS MORE UNSTABLE AIR MOVES ACROSS. ALTHOUGH OVERALL RAINFALL NUMBERS WILL BE LESS WE COULD STILL PICK UP ANOTHER HALF AND INCH TO AND INCH IN SPOTS WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS UP TO 1.5 INCHES. DRY AND NICER WEATHER IS FORECAST FOR SATURDAY AND MOST OF SUNDAY BEFORE ANOTHER SYSTEM MOVES BACK INTO OUR AREA. ALTHOUGH THIS WILL BE A FAR CRY FROM WHAT WE WILL SEE ON THURSDAY THE MODELS ARE DEFINITELY TRENDING WETTER WITH IT COMPARED TO LAST NIGHT. IN FACT THE ECMWF DEPICTS A GOOD PUNCH OF RAIN FOLLOWED BY A DAY OR TWO OF ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AS A SECOND LONGWAVE TROF QUICKLY FOLLOWS BEHIND THE STORM. WITH MANY SOILS EXPECTED TO BE SATURATED FROM THE THURSDAY STORM THIS EXTRA SHOT COULD PRODUCE SOME HYDRO ISSUES. ANOTHER SYSTEM MAY IMPACT OUR AREA AT THE END OF NEXT WEEK. BOTTOM LINE...NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE BEFORE THE STORM ON THURSDAY. THIS WILL LIKELY BE ONE OF THE STRONGEST THAT WE HAVE HAD IN THE PAST TEN YEARS. PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE MADE ASAP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Weatherman Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 NOAA Forecast Discussion:AND THEN ITS GAME ON. A DEEP COLD LARGE HONKING UPPER LOW (510 DM 300 MILES NW OF SEATTLE WILL DOMINATE SRN CA WEATHER THROUGH FRIDAY. ____________Hmm, is "honking" one of those specialized technical meteorological terms? I just noticed that the 9 a.m. update was worded much less emotively. Too bad, really -- I kind of get a kick out of it when a government drone cuts loose and takes a walk on the wild side. That must be Rorke from the L.A. / Oxnard office (I can't remember his first name offhand). He can get pretty creative in his use of words at times in his AFDs. The 9 a.m. update was likely done by a different forecaster as Rorke often works the late shift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Weatherman Posted December 11, 2014 Report Share Posted December 11, 2014 Checking 10am conditions shows that Seattle is as warm as Los Angeles; how often does that happen in December? 65I would say that is a pretty rare event, and would be most likely to occur when Seattle is experiencing a Pineapple Express (atmospheric river event). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLI snowman Posted December 12, 2014 Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 Very impressive rains in the SF Bay Area, today. 4.29" so far in Santa Rosa and 2.87" at SFO, and it still looks like a few more hours to go. The winds there underachieved but the rain sure didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted December 12, 2014 Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 Rain trying to switch to snow here. 34F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted December 12, 2014 Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 Ok it's snowing! Heavy wet wind driven snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 12, 2014 Report Share Posted December 12, 2014 I'm sure some records have been broken and glad that Central Ca is soaked. There was a heavy shower around 4am w/ 1.40 as of 8am. Wind knocked over outdoor furniture/ plants. I think SoCal escaped w/o too much mud w/ some flooding up in the Bay Area/ delta. Looking forward to data/ summaries. It is finally starting to feel like winter 53F current & lowest temp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 At around 2 p.m., a small but productive shower popped up right over my area and added 0.28" to what is now a storm total of 2.27". I was also in the line of passing cells later this morning/ afternoon that dropped heavy showers and boosting the storm total to: 2.25". All in all a very productive event aside from the usual hydrologic issues across the state. 61 / 53 [coolest maximum since March 3rd Rain: 2.25Month: 4.07Total [jul-jun]: 4.75" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Weatherman Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 It rained here in Orange quite heavily for awhile starting about 4:30 this morning, and it continued raining until 11 a.m. or so, although not as heavy as it was when it first started. It was a good soaking rain, which makes that two good soakers this month so far. Hopefully the third storm forecast for around Tuesday or Wednesday of next week is a good soaker, too, and that it is cold enough for more significant snowfall for the ski resorts both here in Socal and in the Sierras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Weatherman Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 With this last storm, most coastal and valley area stations in Los Angeles County received between 1-2", and areas near the mountains received more than that. Most of Orange County received between 1" and 1.5", except for a few south county locations, which got .77" to 1". San Diego County coastal areas averaged between .75" to 1.1", except for Carlsbad, which received 1.41". This was definitely a good soaking rain for the area, and nobody missed out on the action. Hopefully we get at least a few more events like this throughout the winter season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 The storm was well-forecast. Looks like onshore troughy conditions into the coming week. NWS_LA .TOP RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM ALL LOCAL AREASSAN MARCOS PASS................... 5.25EL DESEO.......................... 4.65LOS PRIETOS....................... 4.33MARIA YGNACIO RIDGE............... 4.30TWITCHELL DAM..................... 3.86OPIDS CAMP........................ 3.77BLACK MOUNTAIN.................... 3.60REFUGIO PASS...................... 3.51KTYD TOWER........................ 3.51GIBRALTAR DAM..................... 3.49.LA CO. (METROPOLITAN)BEVERLY HILLS..................... 1.91BEL AIR........................... 1.81MONTE NIDO........................ 1.65LA DOWNTOWN (CQT)................. 1.61HAWTHORNE (KHHR).................. 1.58LONG BEACH (KLGB)................. 1.55SOUTH GATE........................ 1.54LA AIRPORT(KLAX).................. 1.49REDONDO BEACH..................... 1.45HOLLYWOOD RESERVOIR............... 1.42SANTA MONICA (KSMO)............... 1.34CULVER CITY....................... 1.32TORRANCE.......................... 1.31UCLA.............................. 1.17GETTY CENTER...................... 1.10.LA CO. (VALLEYS)PASADENA.......................... 3.43NEWHALL........................... 2.79EAGLE ROCK RESERVOIR.............. 2.13NORTHRIDGE........................ 2.10AGOURA HILLS...................... 2.09EATON DAM......................... 2.08ALHAMBRA.......................... 2.05CANOGA PARK....................... 2.05HANSEN DAM........................ 2.01PACOIMA DAM....................... 2.01VAN NUYS (KVNY)................... 1.84CHATSWORTH RESERVOIR.............. 1.83SANTA FE DAM...................... 1.81DEL VALLE......................... 1.78WOODLAND HILLS.................... 1.67SAUGUS............................ 1.53CLAREMONT......................... 1.40LA VERNE.......................... 1.30BURBANK (KBUR).................... 1.23POMONA............................ 1.23WHITTIER.......................... 1.15.LA CO. (MTNS & FTHLS)OPIDS CAMP........................ 3.77CRYSTAL LAKE...................... 3.15WEST FORK HELIPORT................ 2.88SAN GABRIEL DAM................... 2.64CAMP 9............................ 2.46INSPIRATION POINT................. 2.45SANTA ANITA DAM................... 2.28MT BALDY.......................... 2.19WARM SPRINGS...................... 2.07SIERRA MADRE...................... 2.05SANDBERG (KSDB)................... 2.02MORRIS DAM........................ 2.00WHITAKER PEAK..................... 1.92TANBARK........................... 1.88SAN ANTONIO DAM................... 1.49CHILAO............................ 1.34ACTON............................. 1.15MILL CREEK SUMMIT................. 0.93.LA CO. (DESERTS)POPPY PARK........................ 1.88LAKE PALMDALE..................... 1.23LANCASTER (KWJF).................. 1.19VALYERMO.......................... 1.17PALMDALE (KPMD)................... 1.10SADDLEBACK BUTTE.................. 0.59 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 Clear calm skies will mean the coldest minimum for the year unless clouds move in. Looking back through data, I discovered that the lowest minimum this year is a measly 47° [2/3-4]; just 9 times below 50° [including this morning]. Data going back over 30 years gives my location an average December minimum of 49-50° so 40's are normally common & appreciated. 65 / 49 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Weatherman Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 Here in Orange I received 1.95" of rainfall from this last storm, which is pretty impressive! That brings the total to nearly 4" from just these last two storms alone, which is probably not too far from my 2013-14 season total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow_wizard Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 I'm very happy for you guys. It will be interesting to see how the big pattern change coming up treats you down there. Quote Death To Warm Anomalies! Winter 2023-24 stats Total Snowfall = 1.0" Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1 Total Hail = 0.0 Total Ice = 0.2 Coldest Low = 13 Lows 32 or below = 50 Highs 32 or below = 3 Lows 20 or below = 3 Highs 40 or below = 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 I have 'snow likely' forecast all week long (except Friday), just like the recent rains we haven't had multiple days of snow forecasted for two or three years! You know its a bad drought when you forget what a 'normal' winter is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 I'm very happy for you guys. It will be interesting to see how the big pattern change coming up treats you down there. Whatever the "big pattern change" I hope that we maintain at least periodic storms [every 2 weeks or so] which is a more normal California winter. Cool days, chilly nights = heaven. 66 / 48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Forgot to post this incident last week: Tornado in South Los Angeles - December 12th, 2014https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F-M6Ly3Jqw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halofromajo Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 Forgot to post this incident last week: Tornado in South Los Angeles - December 12th, 2014https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F-M6Ly3JqwStealing for the Weather Channel here, but the top of that cell was only about 10k. Must have been some excellent vorticity to get that thing going in such a small column. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 Pretty much the best commentary ever for a weather video! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 16, 2014 Report Share Posted December 16, 2014 I didn't check the rain gauge before leaving for work this morning but there has been a steady onshore flow of scattered showers all day, so far, with another likely stronger system tonight/ tomorrow. These storms are like an early Xmas gift to California with many stations already reporting above normal rainfall for December. Cloudy60F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Close to .25" drizzle rain and the occasional moderate shower with snow mixing in. Forecast was for all snow 2"-4" today so I guess the liquid equivalent is at least about right. Hoping the winter storm watch for tonight through tomorrow verifies with ~6". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 I was surprised to only measure 0.20 at my house especially since it rained quite a bit and even a flash flood warning for the South Bay late this afternoon. I work close to Torrance where the equivalent of 2" an hour occurred in a very heavy downpour. I was in a meeting when everyone's cell phone began issuing warnings. Streets were flooded. I'm assuming the cell moved east into Orange county afterward. 60/ 53 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 17, 2014 Report Share Posted December 17, 2014 Your Torrance downpour made the 8 p.m. NWS forecast discussion: DUE TO A SURFACE LOW OFF THE COAST OFPALOS VERDES PENINSULA...THERE WAS LIGHT FLOW WHICH MEANT STORMSWERE SLOW MOVING. A PARTICULARLY STRONG CLUSTER OF SLOW MOVING STORMSDEVELOPED OVER TORRANCE AND NEARBY COMMUNITIES LATE THIS AFTERNOONAND EARLY EVENING. FLASH FLOOD WARNING WAS ISSUED FOR THE TORRANCEAREA...WHERE DANGEROUS ROADWAY FLOODING TRAPPED SOME VEHICLES.DURING THE PEAK OF THE EVENT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN IMPRESSIVERAINFALL INTENSITY IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES PER HOUR! AN AUTOMATED WEATHERSTATION IN TORRANCE ALSO REPORTED A STORM TOTAL THAT EXCEEDED 3INCHES. Nothing here so far this evening. After tonight's action (if any), looks like it's gradually back to warm and dry for the foreseeable future (ho hum). That cell came out of nowhere or so it seems; "3 inches" is incredible. I work just east of the area hit near Cal State - Dominguez Hills and it was raining hard but nothing like what was occurring a few miles west in Torrance. Last night a thunderstorm hit around 1:30am with a brief heavy shower. I didn't have time to check the rain gauge but I don't think it was over 0.50. All and all a great week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Weatherman Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 I saw a couple of flashes of lightning here in Orange early this morning just after 4 a.m. when the main front passed through followed by a period of heavy rain. This is the first time I have seen lightning this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 18, 2014 Report Share Posted December 18, 2014 Looking quickly at some monthly rainfall totals across the state, I found most stations above normal or well above normal for a December. Looks like all of California benefited. Lo: 49 Monthly rainfall: 4.78Year [jul-jun]: 5.462014: 10.34 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlTahoe Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Looking quickly at some monthly rainfall totals across the state, I found most stations above normal or well above normal for a December. Looks like all of California benefited. Lo: 49 Monthly rainfall: 4.78Year [jul-jun]: 5.462014: 10.34Except the Sierra Nevada mountain's missed out on almost all of the action. Right now the Central Sierra is only at 42% of average for this date. I live in South Lake Tahoe and we still have not recorded one inch of snowfall this season! We also only received 1.25" inches of rain this month. Heavenly has a whopping 5" inches of natural snow on the ground. We actually had more snow on the ground at this time last winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Except the Sierra Nevada mountain's missed out on almost all of the action. Right now the Central Sierra is only at 42% of average for this date. I live in South Lake Tahoe and we still have not recorded one inch of snowfall this season! We also only received 1.25" inches of rain this month. Heavenly has a whopping 5" inches of natural snow on the ground. We actually had more snow on the ground at this time last winter. That is discouraging. Keep us updated if you would. I assumed if the coastline were getting heavy showers that the Sierra would be getting heavy snow. Glad to see the Squaw Valley station is back online. SQUAW VALLEY 8K FT : 30 / 20 63 / 49 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Weatherman Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 I'm pretty new to reading and interpreting the models, but if I'm not mistaken, there doesn't appear to be much opportunity for rain in SoCal anytime within the next 2 weeks Hope I'm wrong (or that the models will change their minds)!I am hoping that we are not going into a long drawn out dry spell at this time. A couple of weeks would be OK, but I don't want to see another rainless January! We have had enough bone-dry Januaries as of late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 I am hoping that we are not going into a long drawn out dry spell at this time. A couple of weeks would be OK, but I don't want to see another rainless January! We have had enough bone-dry Januaries as of late. I am encouraged by the slow transition to ridging and the possibility for another storm in northern California around Xmas and another system the next week. Lo: 51° Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlTahoe Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Sometimes in the early morning I can pick up the Reno radio station. I thought I heard them say last week that chains were required over Donner Pass? Yes North Lake Tahoe (especially west of the crest) has received a decent amount of snow. South Lake Tahoe has been shut out so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Quite a spread in 7am temps over a relatively short distance due to wind and/ or fog. LA COUNTY VALLEYS AND INLAND EMPIRECITY SKY/WX TMP DP RH WIND PRES REMARKSCORONA AIRPORT PTSUNNY 38 38 100 CALM 30.05F FOG [usual cold spot] CHATSWORTH PTSUNNY 66 43 44 N6 30.02S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happ Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Per LA Times: "Northerly winds blew at 92 mph at Whitaker Peak, 62 mph in Sandberg, 59 mph at Camp Nine and 53 mph in Porter Ranch, toppling trees and power lines, according to the National Weather Service". http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-los-angeles-mountain-wave-winds-20141222-story.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Weatherman Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 So far I haven't had any wind here in Orange, but that is usually the case with a northerly / northwesterly wind. That type of wind often howls in the L.A. area, while it seldom blows here in this area. However, when the wind starts to come out of the northeast as a Santa Ana wind, then my area gets in on the action. That is expected to happen sometime overnight or early tomorrow morning, as this region is under a Wind Advisory from late tonight into early Wednesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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