Dry spell ties record, may end soon

Driest start to December in over 25 years

The recent sunny spell has tied for Crescent City’s driest start to December in recorded history.

No rain has fallen since the month started. Typically, about 3.5 inches fall in Crescent City by Dec. 13. December usually sees a total of about 11.3 inches of rain at the airport, according to the National Weather Service in Eureka.

“This is the driest start to December in a long while,” said Kathleen Lewis, an NWS meteorologist.

The only comparable dry spell to start December in Crescent City was in 1983, the first time it went this long without raining.

The dry spell will likely break Wednesday night, but the sun is forecast to return this weekend.

Rain showers are likely Wednesday night into Thursday as a front moves through the area.

A high-pressure system has been lingering over the area, making for nice weather, Lewis said. An offshore flow from inland has been keeping the fog at bay.

That high-pressure system has likely prevented any storms from reaching the region, she said.

“What often happens is that a high-pressure system is blocking  systems and pushing low-pressure systems to the north or south of us,” Lewis said.

However, a system is making its way through this week and a few more will be coming through next week, she said.

The NWS’ Climate Prediction Center anticipates that the North Coast will remain below its typical rainfall this month, Lewis said.

Rainfall in November was also below last year’s rain total and what’s normal for Del Norte County.

For all of last month, 7.15 inches fell at the airport. Last year it rained 8.33 inches, but 9.73 inches is typical for November.

At the Gasquet Ranger Station, it rained 9.61 inches in November, below last’s year 12.42 inches and the normal rainfall of 12.99 inches.

The annual rain year started July 1, and through Nov. 30, it has rained 13.19 inches in Crescent City, much less than the early start to winter last year when 17.64 inches fell and also below the typical 15.83 inches for that same period.

In Gasquet, it has rained 16.68 inches this rain year, well below 25.14 inches last year and the normal 20.96 inches for that time period.

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