PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NOUS46 KLOX 120644
 PNSLOX
 PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
 1045 PM PST TUE JAN 11 2005
 
 ...WETTEST 15-DAY PERIOD AT DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES IN RECORDED HISTORY... 
 
 THE PAST 15 DAYS...BEGINNING ON DECEMBER 27 2004 AND CONTINUING
 THROUGH JANUARY 10 2005...WERE THE WETTEST 15 CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN
 DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1877. RAINFALL FOR
 THIS STRETCH TOTALLED 16.97 INCHES...SURPASSING THE PREVIOUS 
 15 DAY RECORD OF 14.63 INCHES SET BETWEEN JANUARY 13 AND JANUARY 27
 1969.
 
 THIS HAS BEEN A RATHER REMARKABLE RAINFALL SEASON SO FAR IN DOWNTOWN
 LOS ANGELES. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON...WHICH OFFICIALLY 
 BEGAN JULY 1 2004...DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES HAS RECEIVED 22.35 INCHES
 OF RAIN. THAT IS THE SECOND HIGHEST TOTAL FOR THE SEASON THROUGH
 JANUARY 10 SINCE RECORDS BEGAN...SECOND ONLY TO THE 1889-1890 SEASON 
 WHEN 26.73 INCHES FELL. 
 
 NORMAL RAINFALL THROUGH JANUARY 10TH IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES IS
 JUST 4.71 INCHES. FOR THE SEASON TO DATE...RAINFALL WAS 17.64 
 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. PUT ANOTHER WAY...RAINFALL IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
 WAS RUNNING 475 PERCENT OF NORMAL THROUGH JANUARY 10TH. 
 
 OVER THE 15 DAY RECORD RAINFALL PERIOD...DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES RECEIVED
 16.97 INCHES OF RAINFALL...WHICH IS 1.83 INCHES MORE THAN AN AVERAGE
 365 DAY WATER YEAR.
 
 OTHER INTERESTING FACTS...
 
 ON THE SECOND DAY OF THIS STRETCH...DECEMBER 28 2004...5.55 INCHES
 OF RAIN WAS RECORDED...MAKING IT THE WETTEST DECEMBER CALENDAR DAY
 IN HISTORY AND THE THIRD WETTEST CALENDAR DAY EVER. LARGELY
 DUE TO THAT DAY...DECEMBER 2004 WAS THE SECOND WETTEST DECEMBER
 SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN LOS ANGELES...SECOND ONLY TO DECEMBER 1889
 WHEN 15.80 INCHES WAS RECORDED. INCIDENTALLY...DECEMBER 1889
 WAS THE WETTEST MONTH EVER IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.
 
 FOR THE FIRST 10 DAYS IN JANUARY...DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES RECEIVED
 8.82 INCHES OF RAIN. THUS...JANUARY 2005 IS ALREADY AT LEAST
 THE 7TH WETTEST JANUARY SINCE RECORDS BEGAN. NORMAL RAINFALL
 FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JANUARY IS 3.33 INCHES.
  
 EVEN IF THERE IS NOT ANOTHER DROP OF RAIN THROUGH JUNE...RAINFALL
 WILL BE MORE THAN 7 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL SEASONAL RAINFALL OF
 15.14 INCHES. IN ADDITION...EVEN WITH NO MORE RAIN...IT WOULD BE
 THE 16TH WETTEST SEASON SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1877...A TOTAL 
 OF 128 SEASONS. 
 
 THE WETTEST RAIN SEASONS DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.
 
 RANK        SEASON         RAINFALL TOTAL (INCHES)  
                              
 
 1.        1883-1884            38.18 
 2,        1889-1890            34.84
 3.        1977-1978            33.44
 4.        1940-1941            32.76
 5.        1982-1983            31.28
 6.        1997-1998            31.01
 7.        1968-1969            27.47
 8.        1992-1993            27.36
 9.        1979-1980            26.98
 10.       1892-1893            26.28
 11.       1951-1952            26.21
 12.       1994-1995            24.35  
 13.       1913-1914            23.65 
 14.       1937-1938            23.43
 15.       1936-1937            22.41
 16.       2004-2005 THRU 1/10  22.35
 
 NORMAL RAINFALL FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON WOULD YIELD
 A SEASONAL TOTAL OF 32.78 INCHES. OF COURSE...THINGS DO NOT
 ALWAYS WORK THAT WAY AND THIS SEASON HAS BEEN FAR FROM NORMAL.
 
 
 BRUNO/KAPLAN