In the annual spring rains and snowstorms, more precipitation fell on the Hill this past weekend.
From Saturday through Sunday, the U.S. Forest Service’s Keenwild Ranger Station recorded 0.4 inches of rain, which brought the total since July 1 to 26.4 inches.
The Pine Cove weather station recorded 0.33 inches of rain and more than 2.5 inches of snow. Total rain since July 1 has been more than 37.5 inches and snowfall exceeds 63 inches.
For Idyllwild, the long-term average rainfall through the end of April is 24.8 inches and through the end of May, 25.5 inches. Keenwild has exceeded the annual average for the first time since 2011 when 29.4 inches were recorded there. The total this year is the second-highest precipitation in the past decade.
Pine Cove has received an abundance of rain this year. The current total is nearly 50 percent more than the annual average. It is the most rain since 2005 when more than 40 inches drenched the Hill.
In May, the average precipitation has been 0.75 inches. This weekend’s storm was the fourth year in the past five years that rain and snow have pummeled the Hill in early May. Last year, about an inch fell between May 6 and 8. In 2015, more than 2 inches of rain and 5 inches of snow blanketed the ground during the first two weeks of May.