Unusually wet October?

October is typically a pretty dry month here in Southern California, with Los Angeles picking up, on average, a paltry 0.66" of rain in the month. The past three Octobers, in particular, have been extremely dry, with 0.06" 0.25" and 0.45" for 2013-2015, respectively (see chart below).

View fullsize

However, 2016 may end that dry October streak. Already this month, downtown Los Angeles has picked up 0.48" of rain, and much of the state is running slightly above normal precipitation to-date (the only regions running behind are the central/southern coast and southern San Joaquin Valley). A very active storm track this week is about to add to those totals, and, by this time next week, most of the state may be well above normal for the month. Here's a map showing forecast rainfall totals for the next 3 and a half days (through Friday) from the NAM (WRF) regional model:

View fullsize

A major storm is forecast to affect the region beginning Thursday. Stay tuned :)

-Mick