Since important weather and related articles use the moisture statistics from the reports of the Idyllwild Fire Department, it would seem that steps should be taken to assure that the figures representing totals from those reports are correctly described.
Yet each year there are days with significant moisture totals when the department’s report is “not available.” That data never finds its way into the totals.
When seemingly precise figures are used, such as in last week’s article on rainfall, (e.g., 7.81 inches of rain from July 1, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2012) shouldn’t we find a way to fill in those “not available” days from other sources, or at least indicate that precise totals are themselves not available?
J. Kent Steele
Idyllwild
Editor’s note: When data for days that were originally identified as “not available” arrives, we do adjust the totals below the daily reports.
