Judging from this NEXRAD regional composite radar image last week's system might have been much wetter. As has happened a couple of times this season, much of the heavier rain appears to have remained offshore. Even so, this compilation of rainfall totals from around the area by the NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard lists some respectable rainfall totals for a late season storm in Southern California.

Downtown Los Angeles (USC) recorded 0.49 inch for the storm, increasing April's rainfall total to 1.71 inches. This is almost double April's normal of 0.91 inches. The water year total rainfall for Downtown Los Angeles now stands at 8.68 inches; which is about 60% of normal at this point in the water year. The water year extends from July 1 to June 30.

In a "normal" season Los Angeles would be expected to record another 0.35 inch of rain by June 30. Both the 6-10 Day Precipitation Outlook and 8-14 Day Precipitation Outlook from the CPC are indicating a better chance of below normal precipitation in Southern California than of normal or above normal precipitation. The CPC Monthly and Three Monthly Temperature and Precipitation Outlooks are indicating an equal chance of above normal, normal, and below normal precipitation in Southern California. We'll see!

More information about Southern California weather and climate can be found using our WEATHER LINKS page.

Some of the video of yesterday's rainstorm looked more like coverage of a hurricane rather than an April storm in Los Angeles. There were flooded streets and creeks, lightning strikes of aircraft and gas lines, strong winds, waterspouts, hail, toppled trees, mountain snow and more. Downtown Los Angeles (USC) set a new rainfall record for the date of 0.49 inches, breaking a record set in 1956.

The system's strong dynamics were due in part to upper level divergence associated with an ideally positioned jet max and strong positive vorticity advection. The result was strong omega, with 12z NAM vertical velocities at KVNY on the order of -25 microbars per second from 900 mb to 600 mb.

Apirl's above average rainfall has increased the water year (July 1 to June 30) rainfall total for Downtown Los Angeles to 8.19 inches, which is about 58% of normal. Here are some preliminary rainfall totals from around the area for the storm earlier in the week and yesterday's storm compiled by the NWS, and a snapshot of a Ventura County Watershed Protection District Google Map (large image) with some rainfall totals for the past week.

More information about Southern California weather and climate can be found using our WEATHER LINKS page.