Time for the rain

WEATHER TIDBITS

Right now, Anaheim is the center of the universe.

Once again, an ultra-ugly weekend, sunny with some high clouds

here on Monday.

In a normal year (what’s that?!) the rainy season would be just

weeks away.

October averages only about 1/2 inch or less, then November goes

up to 1 1/4 inches, December kicks it up to 2 1/2 and then January

and February average 3 inches. Two and a quarter inches in March and

then an inch and some change in April. All this adds up to about 13

inches for a normal season.

If and when we get our first, say, 1-inch downpour, our local

beaches’ water quality will be dangerous, to say the least. I won’t

get graphic here, but sufficed to say, everything that’s accumulated

this year in any creeks, streams or riverbeds will be lodged loose by

a downpour, so I don’t care how good the surf is after that initial

drencher, I’m not even going to look at the water.

Our wettest years: 1997-98: 37.27 inches, 1940-41: 32.65 inches, 1977-78: 32.33 inches, 1982-83: 31.30 inches, 1968-69: 31.21 inches.

Our driest: 1960-61: 4.30 inches, 2001-02: 4.42 inches, 1958-59:

5.58 inches, 1975-76: 5.99 inches, 1964-65: 6.07 inches, 1971-72:

6.17 inches.

Our wettest month ever: January 1969 with 18.81 inches.

The boys at NOAA and Scripps are still calling for a moderate El

Nino this winter, so it’s possible we’ll see near normal rains this

upcoming 2002-03 season.

Stay tuned!

* DENNIS McTIGHE is a Laguna Beach resident.