Only a fraction of typical November moisture arrived in the Lake Almanor Basin this year.
The monitoring site near the shoreline at Prattville recorded 1.18 inches of total precipitation, which is well under the 4-inch average for the month. The total includes the moisture content of 16.5 inches of snowfall recorded on the West Shore, a figure that is well above average for November.
The new precipitation year began July 1 and after four months the Lake Almanor Basin has accumulated 2.10 inches, or about 63 percent of the long-term average.
Almost all of that arrived in early October, either as rain or in the form of two inches of wet snow. A slow start to the precipitation season is relatively common for this region as we complete our customary summer drought period.
The year of the long winter is continuing in the Lake Almanor Basin. After April showers there was hope for May flowers, but the spring plant growth was slowed down by more snow in May.
There have now been seven consecutive months with measurable snowfall. And this year’s March through May period was the snowiest spring we experienced for at least the past decade.
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