By Rod Hill on 2012-04-03
As you know, I am doing all I can to find reasons to forecast near normal rainfall April through June. Forecast charts continue to show near normal rainfall through the first 20 days of this month. (A huge change from March!)
I find it interesting that the record March of 1957 was followed by dry weather all the way into summer. Take a look at monthly rainfall:
March 1957: 7.52" (at the time was a new PDX rainfall record)
April: 1.84" (very dry)
May: 1.97" (still below normal)
June: .73" (about 1/2 of normal)
July: .19" (very dry)
____________________________________
The above likely means very little, but the dry months following a record March should give us a little promise! The winter of 1956-1957 was La Nina episode, weaker than the current La Nina that is rapidly ending. The spring months of 1957 were going into an El Nino event. Our current transition is leading us into a "neutral" pattern.
Here is hoping for more pleasant weather than not over the coming months.
All-Time PDX March Record