By Rod Hill on 2012-12-26
Here is an update to the soaker of a year 2012 has been so far. Usually we talk about the water year, which runs from Oct. 1st through Sept. 30th. The dates correspond with the mountain snow pack. Records are also kept for the calendar year, January 1st through December 31st. The normal precipitation for PDX is 36.03 inches. Record go back as far as 1941. So far, Portland has received more than 50 inches of moisture and still counting. The total is better than 15.00 inches above normal! The surplus represents roughly 3 extra months of winter rainfall! Here is the list of wettest calendar years at PDX:
1. 1996 63.20 inches
2. 1950 51.09
3. 1968 50.89
4. 2012 50.33 (as of Dec. 26th a.m.)
5. 1953 48.59
If you go back through the records dating back to 1990, 2012 becomes the 7th year Portland has received 50 inches or more. This year we had a soaking spring and a very wet fall, starting around mid October and of course December!
Enjoy the liquid sunshine.
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