Rain (Cool: summer, cool)

[buffettjr]

Yep., of course meant to say west. Thanks.

BTW, I have family in Arizona and when I went to visit I could understand the rock yards but couldn't believe some people actually painted the rocks green to try to make it look like a lawn. Seemed sort of bizarre!

[jobert]

Originally Posted by buffettjr

Yep., of course meant to say west. Thanks.

BTW, I have family in Arizona and when I went to visit I could understand the rock yards but couldn't believe some people actually painted the rocks green to try to make it look like a lawn. Seemed sort of bizarre!

Don't laugh... I bet by August, some people in Austin will be doing the same thing to their actual lawns.

[Chokhmah]

The farmers almanac says that central Texas should have above average rain and below average temperatures from April-September, however the months of May and August will be below average rain (as I remember they predicted). It said April will be 3-7 inches ABOVE average in rainfall though. Not that farmers almanacs are always correct, but I hope their predictions are right this year because they all sound like good weather patterns.

Texas usually receives lots of rain and most hurricanes later in the season, which accounts for the rainfall in September and October. Winters are normally quite dry in Texas, so it is no surprise this one has been, it is just a bit drier than average.

http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/pics/tx_dm.png (broken link)

Also, to clarify what some people earlier in this thread were saying, a "borderline desert" climate, also known as a steppe, usually is defined as receiving less than either 12 or 13 inches of rain per year, not 8 or 10. But inches of rain per year are never the only requirements to be considered one climate or another, they also take into account how that precipitation falls and the amount of time it falls for as well as the rainiest and driest months, et cetera. I know lots and lots about weather and it has always been a hobby so I could go on and on.

[cBach]

There's no way we get even 2 inches of rain this April. It was 93 per my car thermometer today with a humidity of 5%. That kind of weather dries out the soil quickly. Also, if August is drier than normal, that is not a good prediction.

Face it, we're in a drought and it ain't gonna get any better. That being said, enjoy the lakes this weekend. I'm going camping this weekend and plan to go swimming in the lake as it will be in the 90's...

[orbius]

I hate to burst bubbles but the average rainfall for 2000-2010 was over about 38 inches which is better than the yearly average by a good amount.
The fact is the concept of a perma drought is bread and butter for the local media. Somehow it makes people feel better to think its a drought when its hot outside.

The real concern is the fact that we've been above the yearly average yet lake levels are often catastrophically low during the Summer.
Whats being concealed because of all the people screaming drought is the reality that Austin is being tapped of too much of its water supplies downstream. These demands are only going to get worse as new power stations in San Antonio come online.

[die Eichkatze]

Originally Posted by orbius

I hate to burst bubbles but the average rainfall for 2000-2010 was over about 38 inches which is better than the yearly average by a good amount.
The fact is the concept of a perma drought is bread and butter for the local media. Somehow it makes people feel better to think its a drought when its hot outside.

The real concern is the fact that we've been above the yearly average yet lake levels are often catastrophically low during the Summer.
Whats being concealed because of all the people screaming drought is the reality that Austin is being tapped of too much of its water supplies downstream. These demands are only going to get worse as new power stations in San Antonio come online.

Not sure where you are getting your info...
ABIA avg 2000-2010: 32.75
Mabry avg 2000-2010: 34.52
Austin Climate Records - NWS Austin/San Antonio

Those downstream users have "Senior Water Rights" and LCRA has come to the conclusion that providing water to farmers and power plants is a little more important than recreational activities on the lake. Not to mention they are mandated to provide critical instream flows to the bays/esturaries to keep them healthy.

[orbius]

Originally Posted by die Eichkatze

Not sure where you are getting your info...
ABIA avg 2000-2010: 32.75
Mabry avg 2000-2010: 34.52
Austin Climate Records - NWS Austin/San Antonio

Those downstream users have "Senior Water Rights" and LCRA has come to the conclusion that providing water to farmers and power plants is a little more important than recreational activities on the lake. Not to mention they are mandated to provide critical instream flows to the bays/esturaries to keep them healthy.

I got the data from NOAA however my math was off. The average for the decade is still over the yearly average however so my point holds. I didnt see different data for Mabry and ABIA on the average precipitation pdf however where are you getting the data where a distinction between ABIA and Mabry was made?

[die Eichkatze]

You can access both from the link I provided.
To make it easier...
ABIA: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/ewx/aus/ausmonrain.pdf
Mabry: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/ewx/aus/attmonrain.pdf

When it comes to climate, the standard length of time is 30 years.
ABIA 1971-2000 avg: 34.72 (00-10 avg: 32.75)
Mabry 1971-2000 avg: 33.70 (00-10 avg: 34.52)

Yearly rainfall has little weight in defining a drought. Short term precipitation 30, 60, 90, and 180 day totals, along with soil moisture, and hydrological data (stream flow) have the most weight.

U.S. Drought Monitor Archives (http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/archive.html - broken link)
Mid 2005-Early 2007: Drought
Late 2007-Late 2009: Drought
Late 2010-current: Drought

All of this doesn't matter because the lake level depends on what falls in the Hill Country. It could rain 100 inches in Austin and it won't effect the level. You need it to rain in Kimble, Mason, Llano, Gillespie, and Blanco Counties to impact the lake.

I do agree that the media does blow things out of porportion (big surprise there...)

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by orbius

I hate to burst bubbles but the average rainfall for 2000-2010 was over about 38 inches which is better than the yearly average by a good amount.
The fact is the concept of a perma drought is bread and butter for the local media. Somehow it makes people feel better to think its a drought when its hot outside.

The real concern is the fact that we've been above the yearly average yet lake levels are often catastrophically low during the Summer.
Whats being concealed because of all the people screaming drought is the reality that Austin is being tapped of too much of its water supplies downstream. These demands are only going to get worse as new power stations in San Antonio come online.

San Antonio is not downstream of Austin, it is not even in the same watershed. You can see the watershed maps here. LCRA Maps | Watershed Posters

[Lakers all day]

Originally Posted by eepstein

I have lived here for almost 8 years. We have pretty much been in a drought the entire time. Folks, it doesn't rain much in Austin. Generally when it does rain, it's almost always with a front, or thunderstorms which does little to get into the soil (which is mostly rock anyway) It's a borderline desert climate, and will become more so as the decades pass.

I wouldn't say borderline desert, that would be like 25-15 inches of rain, like Los Angeles. Austin is in the transitional zone from green to desert, not too rain and green but not to dry and brown, right in the middle because houston is less than a 3 hour drive from Austin and that has over 50 inches of rain and austin having 33 inches