Los Angeles is known for its typical blue skies and sunny weather, but so far this year we’ve received recording-breaking amounts of rain and even an atmospheric river in an unexpected turn of weather events. So much so, that we have taken the reigns over Seattle.
You may have already guessed that with a recent purchase of an umbrella and rainboots this season. But yes, Seattle, known for its frequent rainfall, has seen comparatively less rain this year than California cities according to the National Weather Service of Seattle on X (formerly Twitter) — and here is just how much:
- Los Angeles 15.33 inches — 194% of the normal average
- San Francisco 13.58 inches — 121% of the normal average
- San Diego 10.89 inches — 183% of the normal average
- Seattle 12.91 inches — 86% of the normal average
While the typical L.A. response may be, “We needed this rain!” — there’s no doubt that the numbers speak volumes. In a conversation with Newsweek, meteorologist Steve Reedy from the National Weather Service stated that California seeing more rainfall than Seattle is quite unusual, and attributed this year’s rainfall to the El Niño climate phenomenon.
He also explained that during an El Niño winter, the storm path tends to shift southward — thus diverting precipitation away from Seattle and more toward California — resulting in altered precipitation patterns (and a higher mosquito population). According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), such types of weather events typically occur every two to seven years and can last for several months to over a year.
The National Weather Service of Los Angeles aptly captured the sentiments of many Angelenos with their own reaction to the statistics on X, humorously putting out, “@NWSSeattle You can have your rain back now!”