Los Angeles will end the year on a record-breaking note after weathering one of its driest periods on record as La Niña lingers, weather officials say.
Despite starting this year with historic rainfall, an extended dry spell has gripped Southern California since spring, resulting in severe drought conditions and several large wildfires in recent months.
In downtown Los Angeles, just 0.16 inches of rain fell in the area from May 6 to December 31, according to National Weather Service data, making the past seven months the second-worst in Los Angeles history. It was a dry period.
The only time this dry zone was exceeded was in 1962, when the downtown area received just 0.14 inches of rain during the same seven-month period.
The driest period on record in the Los Angeles downtown metropolitan area was from May 6 to December 31.
Ranking end date total precipitation: May 6th to December 3111962-12-310.1422024-12-310.1631903-12-310.4541929-12-310.4752017-12-310.526 1958-12-310.5571917-12-310.6481975-12-310.6891956-12-310.92101980-12-310.98 Data from National Weather Service
Winter temperatures in La Niña years are higher than normal in the south and lower than normal in the north. The phenomenon could have global impacts on weather, wildfires, ecosystems and more, according to the NWS.
“During a La Niña event, trade winds become even stronger than normal, pushing more warm water toward Asia,” the NWS explained. “Upwelling increases off the west coast of the Americas, bringing cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface. Cold water in the Pacific pushes the jet stream north, causing drought in the southern United States and heavy rains in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. and tend to cause flooding.”
Recent weather patterns have created severe drought conditions in Southern California, creating dangerous conditions for wildfires.
Todd Hall, a senior meteorologist at the NWS office in Los Angeles, said a chance to break out of the drought could soon arrive in the new year, with a storm heading toward California around New Year’s Day or the first week of January. It is said that there is a possibility. And Oxnard.
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