Wetter Weather Pattern Continues into 2013

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On November 30, after two years of drought, this blog predicted a change to a wetter weather pattern for the central U.S. starting about the tenth of December.

How are we doing? Answer: Pretty well. It has turned much wetter the last seventeen days compared to recent months. Rainfall has been moderate to heavy east of Interstate 35 in most areas. There are a number of areas in the Southeast where seven inches or more (orange) have fallen. Snowpack in Colorado is generous.

Much more rain is needed in many areas to break the drought. For the next seven days, the National Weather Service is predicting more precipitation for the region.


At least we are moving in the right direction. For contrast, here is the rainfall for the seventeen days before the forecast was made.

Comments

  1. BrianDecember 28, 2012 at 11:00 AM

    Your comment about "Snowpack in Colorado is generous" is inaccurate.

    According to today's SNOTEL measurements, the 8 basins range from 64% of 'normal' to 87% of 'normal'. While significantly improved from Nov 30 when the pack was downright catastrophic, it's not 'generous.'

    Your overall prediction is good though. :)

    Source: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/reports/UpdateReport.html?report=Colorado&format=SNOTEL+Snowpack+Update+Report

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mike SmithDecember 28, 2012 at 11:03 AM

    Hi Brian. Keep in mind that I am referring to 17 days' worth of precipitation. I believe the snow amounts were "generous" for that period of time.

    As I state in the next sentence, "Much more rain is needed in many areas to break the drought." Of course, in winter in mountains we need much more snow.

    Thanks for the comment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Michael RiedlDecember 28, 2012 at 2:25 PM

    The snowfall in the Pac-NW and Northern Rockies have been great. Ski Resort managers in Sun Valley, Idaho have called it the best start to the season they've had in a long while. Though they've slowed down now, likely associated with the pattern change that has helped the MW make gains. Hopefully we can continue to get rain to help keep beef prices from rising. Ranchers aren't going to be able to restock very heavy.

    ReplyDelete

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