Five days, up to 14 inches of rain: See the totals from a drenching few days in Southern California (2024)

FAQs

How many days of rain does California get? ›

Los Angeles, California receives 305.3 mm (12 in) of rainfall per year, or 25.4 mm (1 in) per month. On average there are 36 days per year with more than 0.1 mm (0.004 in) of rainfall (precipitation) or 3 days with a quantity of rain, sleet, snow etc. per month.

After a scorching summer, experts say it would take 7 to 10 inches of rainfall to get the soil damp enough to provide runoff to depleted reservoirs such as Sonoma County's Lake Mendocino. It would take more than two feet of rainfall by the end of December to end the ongoing drought in the area by the end of the year.

Moderate rainfall measures 0.10 to 0.30 inches of rain per hour. Heavy rainfall is more than 0.30 inches of rain per hour. Rainfall amount is described as the depth of water reaching the ground, typically in inches or millimeters (25 mm equals one inch). An inch of rain is exactly that, water that is one inch deep.

Average for seasons 1944 through 2022: 11.86 inches*

See month-by-month numbers as season unfolds.

No. As of the week of October 10, 2023, California finally ended its latest drought cycle, which lasted 1,337 days (about 3.5 years). The previous drought lasted 2,672 days between 2011 and 2019. As of March 26, 2024, about 0% of the state's total area is seeing drought conditions.

December, January and February are typically the wettest months in the Golden State, with 75 percent of the state's annual precipitation falling between November and March. In 2023, February was the rainiest month for rainfall in California.

By Tuesday, water reservoirs were at about 64% capacity, well above the 30-year average of 55% for the month of December. After last year's historically wet winter, many of California's largest water stores were at or near capacity during the summer months of 2023.

Martell says that with the amount of rain we've received — not just within this water year but even since last winter — we've done pretty well with our drought monitor. "We only have about 7.2% of the state in abnormally dry conditions, not even drought conditions," she said.

Despite the floods, the rainfall has been helpful as it eased the drought crisis, added some temporary relief from early fire seasons and provided critical moisture for fruit and vegetable crops. Scientists say that one good rainfall year does not end decades of drought.

10 inches of rainfall is 0.833 ft of water. 18,000 ft x 0.833 ft is 15,000 cubic ft or 112,200 gallons of water. That's 467.9 tons of water, which is a lot of water that was suspended in the sky above your house. If that amount is typical for your side of town, imagine how much water fell over a few thousand acres.

Is 1 inch of rain a lot in a day? ›

One (1.00) inch of rain – A light moderate rain never reaches this amount, heavy rain for several hours (2-5 hours). There would be deep standing water for long periods of time.

The amount of rain considered "a lot" can vary depending on the location and time of year. In general, 2 inches of rain in a 24-hour period is considered a significant amount of rainfall, and can cause flooding or flash flooding in some areas.

This means that the bulk of California's precipitation falls in the cool season months from October through April. It is highly variable across the state with the southeast deserts receiving less than 5 inches in a year to the north coast which can get over 100 inches per year.

October 1888 to 1890 had the most rain at 54.1 inches, followed by 2022 to 2024. *Water years run from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

Statewide annual precipitation (1895-2021)

Values range from a low of 10.75 inches in 1924 to a high of 42.82 inches in 1983, with an average of 23.5 inches over the entire period of record.

With its Mediterranean climate, California receives most of its annual precipitation in just a few months, with the bulk of it falling from December to February. That means that by the time March 1 comes around, we usually have a good sense of how much water we're going to have for the rest of the year.

Many Californians have grown accustomed to cloudless skies due to the periods of prolonged drought and the region's Mediterranean climate, which means most of its rain falls during the winter months into March. In recent seasons, the state's wettest months have been in January and March.

What is the average rainfall in California? Since records began in 1895, statewide annual precipitation has ranged from a low of 9.4 inches in 1924 to a high of 41.66 inches in 2017. Precipitation in seven of the last ten years has been below the statewide average of 22.9 inches.