October 1st marks the beginning of Water Year 2014. So, what will the coming year's precipitation be like? Here's a few screen shots of the past:
WY2013: Slammed in December 2012, without much thereafter;
WY2012: December 2011 was drier than June; and March madness;
WY2011: Peaks during December and March; even saw good rain in June;
Documenting this variation is part of what CoCoRaHS is about... Trying to gain a better understanding of what's "normal". NOAA's climate prediction center has our area labeled with "EC" (equal chances) for precipitation being more or less normal for the coming year... So, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what this "water year" has in store.
For more a bit more about local measurements made during past water years, you can visit the CoCoRaHS website; for example...
So, what's your prediction for the first month of this water year? Check out the chart of October rainfall for the past 20 years... Looks like our baseline for October rain is on the rise... Or maybe it's the 4-5 years between heavy October rains that catches your eye...
Only time will tell :-)
