Okay, Yes, It’s My Fault!

Some people think that they can make it rain the following day by washing their car. They’ve got nothing on me!

1. Southern California is in the worst drought in recorded history.
2. The most rain ever recorded for the entire month of July in Los Angeles is 2.54 inches, in 1921.
3. Average rainfall for the entire month of July in Los Angeles is 0.01 inches.
4. Rainfall so far today at Camarillo Airport is 0.41 inches.
5. Rainfall so far today at the measuring station nearest our house is 0.75 inches.
6. Rainfall so far today in Cheesboro Canyon (about eight miles away) is 1.32 inches.
7. There’s a 50% chance of more heavy thunderstorms tomorrow. (There are two tropical storms off of Baja, but instead of heading off to Hawaii they’re coming north towards SoCal. First time in my 40 years here that I can remember it happening.)
8. There’s a 40% chance of more heavy thunderstorms on Monday.

I take the blame.

After over nine months with our lawn sprinklers completely off (trying to be good citizens during that whole “4-year long historically catastrophic drought” thing) and our lawn going brown and dead, yesterday evening I turned them on again. (Our trees are dying, I’m trying to save them before it’s too late.)

Today, this:

Image: National Weather Service

Click for full-sized image.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” Words of wisdom, indeed.

But we desperately need the rain, so I’m leaving the sprinklers on, street flooding be damned!