Tuesday, May 26, 2015

We Need More Rain

I know you're thinking that I'm nuts, but as a meteorologist, I hate falling just shy of key thresholds and records.

So far this month, the National Weather Service has recorded 3.88 inches of precipitation.  That's only good for the 8th wettest May on record if we use the Salt Lake City International Airport record for the past several decades and other nearby observing sites to go back to the late 1800s.

Source: NOAA Regional Climate Centers
It is, however, the 4th wettest since the mid 20th century, behind 1993 (3.99"), 1997 (4.76"), and 2011 (5.14").  The wettest year if you go way back is 1908 (5.76").

I think the key psyche points are 4" just because it's a nice round number and 4.27" as that would get us into the top 5 all time.  Given the hit and miss nature of these storms, I make no specific predictions, but climbing up the list is certainly possible and if we can get a big dump right at the airport, perhaps we'll do even better.

2 comments:

  1. Didn't you mean the last half of the 20th century which ended December 31, 2000. We are currently living in the first half of the 21st century.

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    1. Thanks for pointing that out. I've corrected it to "mid 20th century." Sometimes my time travel adventures get me confused!

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