When is rain too much?

[Zeke]

Sure, the West has needed rain for 3 years. Now we get what we need 3x over. As usual, a billion in damages so far and the problem really hasn't gotten to full tilt. That happens if and when we get a warm period.

Not really my point nor news. I never liked rain or wind starting life as a painter. Neither helped with income. Probably why painters and other trades really don't make much money even if wages are sky high. If you don't put some away during the good times. you are broke. Not many skilled workers are skilled money managers.

Not really my point. SoCal averages about 10" of light rain per year. Unfortunately Mother Nature sees that we either get way less or way more if you look at the weather data.

I don't think most people in SoCal have the maintenance up up to par to get through this. I don't, and as a result will spend the summer making repairs.

Last time we had big rain I had $7000 in damages. The rain overcame the ability of the typical SoCal flat roof to drain and some of it fell in.

I'm hating life now; pretty depressed. I won't know the tally until the rain stops.

Who else?

[cantdrv55]

Same here. I have a couple of windows or walls that are leaking. A part of my fence has fallen. My gate will need replacing. My GSD mix needs walking so my house smells like wet dog 3x a day. We’ve had to cancel a few camping trips, including next week’s on the beach in Malibu. I’m sick of this freaking rain.

[cstreit]

That sucks - seems like things were built assuming stable weather patters that aren't holding true anymore.

Even here in the midwest I'm having to upgrade systems to handle new water patterns.. like when they rerouted the local wild stream that raised our water tables. Where was the study?

[stevej37]

Normal rainfall so far this spring here....but another round of snow this morning to cover the ground.

[Tobra]

The weather has been like this in California my entire life.

During that time, the population has more than doubled, and there has been no water storage increase. Ground with asphalt or cement on it drains fast, instead of soaking in. We just have to many more people now. There are top people working on that, even as we speak.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Tobra

The weather has been like this in California my entire life.

During that time, the population has more than doubled, and there has been no water storage increase. Ground with asphalt or cement on it drains fast, instead of soaking in. We just have to (sic) many more people now. There are top people working on that, even as we speak.

I'm not talking about water management.

What you're saying is we haven't improved when we should have.

The population has nothing to do with how things are built in some parts of the state. Except you are correct in over-paving as we have expanded exponentially. That has passively exacerbated the lack of water management

I, too, am a native. 3rd generation.

[Scott Douglas]

I feel for ya Zeke. We have a flat roof over our family room. In one of the El Nino years we had a water fall on what was the outside wall which is now an inside wall. Luckily we had installed bathroom water proof wall paper on it so it just sheeted down the wall and puddled on the floor.
We had the whole roof replaced that summer for like $10k if I recall, maybe more.
We recently had the flat roof coated with that white elastomer stuff. It cooled that room down in the summer and it's pretty cold now in the winter time since the sun is reflected so well. NO water though!
We had gutters installed last month since the backyard flooded to almost too deep levels from all the runoff from the house. The whole back of the house is now guttered to run off to the sides. It helps a lot.
I totaled up the rain fall pictures I've taken of our rain gauge after each rain for the season.
So far we're at 17.00". We have another .5" from this storm though so that total will be going up.

[Scott Douglas]

When I drove down the San Diego Freeway yesterday while exercising my car, I looked at the acres and acres of concrete being laid for the widening project and wondered where is all the water going to go?

[rfuerst911sc]

Milt hang in there this too shall pass .

[Eric Hahl]

I hate rain and I live in the Pacific NorthWET!

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

I hate rain and I live in the Pacific NorthWET!

I have good friends in Sant Rosa. Enough said. They now have a lake on their 3 acres that was not there before.
Oh, and they have a cabin in Truckee. It's buried.

[GH85Carrera]

The storms you are having we get a few days later. We have been very dry so far this spring. We would welcome some of the rain. Our thunderstorms that form the storms you keep getting form right over I-35 and drop rain east of I-35 and that part of the Oklahoma is drought free.

Rain always seems to be too much or too little is various parts of the country.

It is really hard to get politicians to spend money on drainage and run off to a storage facility like a man made lake. There is no wow factor in buried storm drainage pipes and big empty field waiting for a big rain to fill it up when the rains don't fall for years at a time. A multi billion dollar train to nowhere is flashy and has big promises to ease congestion to the millions of commuters that sit in traffic every day.

A fresh water lake can bring in millions in revenue but they cost mega millions to make it happen.

There is no easy answer, except to elect politicians the will work for a better future, and not just to enrich themselves, and that is for all politicians not just the left or right.

[Bill Douglas]

Here in New Zealand we have whole neighbourhoods that have flooded. People drowning in their attics and ceiling spaces, and these towns haven't flooded in 180 years.

[herr_oberst]

To everyone in SoCal still thinking the Pacific NW is a good place to move, understand, what you have now is called Winter and Spring up here. Having said that, for the most part, water management is a given, and our roofs, gutters and groundwater are capable of dealing with the millions of gallons.

Good luck to all of us. We live in interesting times.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I totaled up the rain fall pictures I've taken of our rain gauge after each rain for the season.
So far we're at 17.00". We have another .5" from this storm though so that total will be going up.

Wow. We're at 5 1/8" so far this year. To be average, we should probably be nearly 7 1/2". Hopefully, this year is better than last year. Last year, we had a nasty drought. Cali has been hammered by drought for a LONG time. I know that this current weather sucks, but hopefully, the silver lining is some relief from the drought.

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

I hate rain and I live in the Pacific NorthWET!

Yep, you're in the wrong place. The only places that might be worse would be the Amazon or living under water.

You know what's really interesting. According to the Internet, Seattle, Tacoma and Portland all get 36-40" of rain per year on average. Galveston (on the coast), Houston (45 miles inland), and Austin (150 miles inland) get ~60", 50", and 36-40" of rain per year. And I consider Austin, "dry".

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The storms you are having we get a few days later. We have been very dry so far this spring. We would welcome some of the rain. Our thunderstorms that form the storms you keep getting form right over I-35 and drop rain east of I-35 and that part of the Oklahoma is drought free.

Rain always seems to be too much or too little is various parts of the country.

Yep Last year we were super dry at our place, but the kids, 110 miles away had plenty of rain (less than usual, but still plenty). We're doing OK so far this spring. We haven't been super wet, but we've got lots of green stuff and growth.

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Here in New Zealand we have whole neighbourhoods that have flooded. People drowning in their attics and ceiling spaces, and these towns haven't flooded in 180 years.

Wow, crazy. Welcome to the new norm where no one knows what is going to happen.

[Chocaholic]

Now it’s called an Atmospheric River. Or a bomb cyclone.

In other words, it’s raining a lot but that’s not scary enough.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Now it’s called an Atmospheric River. Or a bomb cyclone.

In other words, it’s raining a lot but that’s not scary enough.

LMAO!

Even meteorologists are getting in on the "gotta hype it up and make it exciting" action these days.

[Scott Douglas]

If you really understood why they call it an atmospheric river you'd not laugh at it.
We got another 5/8ths of an inch last night/this morning.



They say more is on the way late tonight too.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Now it’s called an Atmospheric River. Or a bomb cyclone.

In other words, it’s raining a lot but that’s not scary enough.

The term first used in 1994.
https://www.google.com/search?q=when+was+atmospheric+river+coined&oq=When+was+atmosperic+river&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0i13i512l2j0i22i30l7.19590j1j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[908/930]

11" of light rain per year, really, that is a good winter month up here. Average about 80" during the winter, dry in summer. Does that help?