Much of California and the midwestern United States just had some of the wettest winter weather on record, per data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- The opposite was true in the Pacific Northwest and in parts of Texas and Florida, which were significantly drier than average.
Why it matters: Wintertime precipitation can cause hazardous conditions from blizzards and ice storms, which prevent travel and knock out power — but it can also alleviate drought, especially in mountainous areas that rely on melting snowpack each spring to replenish groundwater supplies.
Driving the news: It's no surprise that several California towns set or came close to setting new wintertime precipitation records considering the frequent strong storms affecting the Golden State in recent months.
- Much of California's precipitation lately has been driven by atmospheric rivers — "long, narrow highways of moisture, typically located at about 10,000 to 15,000 feet above the surface," as Axios' Andrew Freedman writes in this helpful explainer.
- That California is getting so much precipitation is easing concerns about drought there somewhat.
- Still, what's fallen so far is nowhere near enough to fully resolve the water crisis that continues to plague the American West.
Zoom in: Minneapolis had its second-wettest winter on record, with about 6.4 inches of precipitation — around 3.5 inches more than normal (this includes the water contained in snowfall).
- San Francisco had its third-wettest, with a whopping 22.4 inches — nearly 10.4 inches more than usual.
- Naples, Florida, meanwhile, had its driest winter on record, with just 0.95 inches of precipitation — about 3.5 inches below average.
Of note: For this analysis, "winter" is defined as Dec. 1, 2022 – Feb. 28, 2023.
The bottom line: Climate change is raising the odds and severity of precipitation extremes — both heavy rain and snow as well as prolonged and severe dry spells.
- However, it doesn't mean every season, or even every year, will set a new all-time record.
