Despite the Rain, It’s Still a Dry Year

Orange County’s unseasonably wet spring weather has meant more snow in the mountains and less need to water lawns, but this still could turn out to be the driest year since 1975, experts said.

Despite the rain that fell on most of the Southland on Sunday and Monday, annual totals are low.

“This has been a considerably dry season to begin with,” said Ellie Budai, a meteorologist at WeatherData Inc., which compiles climate records and supplies weather forecasts to The Times.

On average, Orange County’s annual rainfall totals about 16 inches, most of it during the winter. Since July, the beginning of the recording year, only about 7 inches have fallen.

The unusual April showers, Budai said, have resulted because the ridge of high pressure that ordinarily blocks storm systems from Canada has not built yet this year. That means storms from Alaska and the coast of Canada have plowed through to Southern California, bringing rain and snow.

“It’s extremely unlikely to have precipitation in April,” Budai said.

Sunday’s rain fell as far north as Fresno and as far south as Tijuana. Temperatures were not low enough to bring considerable snow to Orange County’s peaks, but up to 8 inches fell in Big Bear.

Since March 24, Santa Ana has had seven rainy days for a total accumulation of 2.95 inches, according to WeatherData. But that still leaves the total for the year so far about 9 inches below average.

“We’re hopefully catching up a little,” said Fred Leavitt, a hydro-meteorologist technician with the National Weather Service.

Meteorologists said the lack of rainfall is not an immediate concern because last year’s El Nino left an abundance in local reservoirs. If it were to continue for five or six years, that could lead to a drought, experts said.

The Orange County forecast for the rest of this week calls for clear skies and sunshine, with daytime highs in the mid-60s to low 70s, and overnight lows in the mid-40s to 50s.

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Soggy April

Even though the month of April is just 12 days old, it is the county’s third wettest in the last decade. Rainfall in inches for April:

1990: 0.49

1992: 0.14

1994: 0.81

1995: 1.04

1996: 0.63

1998: 1.29

1999: 0.96

Note: There was no recorded rain in 1991, 193 and 1997; totals recorded in Santa Ana

Source: WeatherData