RoguePundit

Short Break

I've got some family business to attend to...probably won't have time for another post until Sunday or Monday. 

Starting A New Water Year

We've reached the end of a rather dry water year in the Rogue Valley.  Here a few miles NW of Grants Pass, the final tally was 27.74", which is roughly 70 percent of normal.  The Western Regional Climate Center map shows most of JoCo in the light orange, but the data here should have us on the border of dark orange and red.

This was easily our second driest year of the decade, though well above the 16.80" in 2000/01.  Only in May and June did we beat our monthly averages.  The biggest miss was in January, which was 5.50" light.  The shut-out in July was the fifth year in seven for our driest month.

If one can trust the longer-range forecasts, we're supposed to be warmer than normal the next three months and have a dry September.  But considering how dry Septembers normally are (my average is 0.50"), that's not saying much.

After three straight below-average water years, it's time for a juicy one...within reason.

The Showers Scattered Here

That was quite a little gullywasher we had this evening...topped my monthly average rainfall (0.61") in just 15 minutes.  Less than two miles east of here, my folks got almost a half inch more rain than I did.  Unfortunately, there's now some erosion to fix.  

Four straight days of measurable rain in June...wow.  I've now had more rain this month than I did in January...when the average is about 7 inches.  With as dry as this year has been, I'd definitely welcome some more precip.  It can rain another 5 inches and still be our second-driest rain year of the decade.  Of course, the odds of it raining that much are rather close to nil.  Last year, we didn't get any rain in July and August (and for that matter, September).    

FYI, the driest year here in many was in 00/01, when just 16.80" fell. 

April Flowers Bring May Showers

The first three days of May got us off to a good start.  Then with today's juicy storm, I've blown past my monthly average rainfall...first time since January of last year.  That extra inch still leaves me close to 13" light for the rain year.  But finally there's a month where the deficit isn't growing.

Over 2.5" already...four years ago, I topped 5" in May.  Thinking positive thoughts...

Some Family Time

I have family visiting for a few days.  Thus, there will be little-to-no posting until towards the end of next week.  The weather looks ominously dry, but that sure makes it easier to schedule outdoor activities.  I'm sure my back would appreciate a couple days of rain.

The Tax Break Approaches

Once again, it's about that time.  Because I do more than my own, I get to stay acquainted with California's lengthy and expensive income tax as well.  Nice to hear that California is issuing refunds again.

Blogging will be light at best through the weekend.

Continuing Comments Section Problems (Updated)

Well, TypePad is still having comment problems.  

Some users are experiencing issues with the comment form on their weblogs. We are working on this currently.

I still can't comment here, but one person did today...and the spam filter has caught 41 more comments--mostly porn. 

Yes, I've complained.  Sorry about the continuing frustration. 

UPDATE:  Ahhh, I can comment again.

Comments Section Down

TypePad is a having a problem with the comments section of some of its blogs, including mine...I can't even make comments at the moment.  Sorry, and hopefully it will be back soon.

Seeking More Rain

While it certainly hasn't been dry at my place the last couple of months, neither has it been particularly wet.  In fact, December marked the 11th straight month with precip at or below average (June was the tie).  Over that period, precip was just 56 percent of average. 

The last two rain years (Sept-Aug) produced similar totals, averaging 6.23" light.  I'm already 5.31" inches light this rain year.  It's time for a wet--well, really wet--January. 

The following NOAA map shows that much of the West was dry last year.  Josephine County is shown in the 80-90 percent of normal precip band, but I barely topped 70 percent of normal.  Just unlucky I guess...

Happy New Year! 

A Break

Over three months without rain, and just in time for a family visit, here comes our first set of storms for the season.  Such is life...I'm sure we'll manage.  But, blogging will be light at best through the weekend.