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Climate & Environment

Is This Rainstorm Enough To Help Us Catch Up?

On the left of frame a person with a black coat and tan umbrella walks towards an orange bus that reads "78 Downtown LA." The light from the bus shines on the heavy rain in the air.
A passenger boards a Metro bus in the rain in Alhambra on Jan. 9, 2023.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
)

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Even though we’re solidly in our rainy season, prior to this latest storm, things were looking dry — about 2 inches below normal in downtown L.A.

However, by the end of the week, we should be caught up, as 2 to 3 inches are expected to fall on the city, while as much as 8 inches of rain could blanket the mountains.

El Niño

It's tough to say with certainty how any one individual storm is impacted by the presence of El Niño.

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Here in Southern California we tend to see the climate pattern influence weather starting some time in late fall, but as we’ve talked about before, it doesn’t guarantee a wet winter.

Snowfall

Snowfall in our mountains is a bigger concern than local rainfall totals, as we rely on snowmelt for much of our water. Currently, we're only at 35% of normal across the Sierra, and 85% of normal in the Colorado River Basin.

Our reservoirs are still looking pretty good.

Christmas weather

You’ll get to enjoy a dry Christmas eve and day, as this latest storm should wrap up by Saturday.

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Another storm may show up mid to late next week.

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