Above-normal temperatures ravished the mountain climate last week. Temperatures stalled above 60 degrees, approaching 70 degrees, for several consecutive nights. Finally, on Saturday and Sunday nights, July 30 and 31, the temperature dropped to 58 degrees.
Saturday afternoon, a small cloud burst — the first rain of the 2016-17 rain year — may have aided this “cooling” trend. Pine Cove recorded 0.55 inches and 0.2 inches were recorded in Idyllwild. The U.S. Forest Service’s Keenwild Ranger Station in Mountain Center did not report any rain Saturday.
Historically, the July rainfall has been 0.7 inches. In 2015, several storms passed over the Hill in July depositing more than 3 inches of rain.
Fortunately, for possible drought relief, the National Weather Service lowered its projection of the formation this fall or winter of a possible “La Niña” weather pattern, from 75 percent to 55 to 60 percent. Typically, La Niña weather patterns produce less rainfall than normal.
For the next three months, NWS does not forecast any significant rain or below-average rain, either.