Megadrought Delivers Fourth Driest January And February To LA

LOS ANGELES, CA — A series of small storms at the end of February did little to alleviate the historic drought gripping Southern California. In fact, the first two months of 2022 were the fourth driest on record in Downtown Los Angeles, according to the National Weather Service. It's the latest blow to a region suffering through the worst drought in 1,200 years, according to a new study.

Downtown Los Angeles recorded just .25 inches of rain, or 4% of the normal rainfall for the area in January and February, according to data from the National Weather Service. A study of tree rings across the region conducted by the UCLA, the region is in the midst of a Megadrought rarely seen. The last time, California endured a period anywhere near as dry was about 600 years ago during a decades-long drought, NPR reported.

The normal rainfall for downtown Los Angeles in January and February is 6.93 inches since records began during the 1877-88 season.

The driest period was in 1912 when .07 inches of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles in January and February. It is followed by 1972, when .13 inches of rain fell, and by 1984, when .17 inches of rain fell.

December 2020 was one of the wettest months in southwestern California.

Rainfall in January in downtown Los Angeles totaled .19 inches, 6% of the normal rainfall of 3.29 inches. Rainfall in February in downtown Los Angeles totaled .06 inches, 2% of the normal rainfall of 3.64 inches.

It was the 13th driest January. Five previous times in January received no measurable rain. It was the 13th driest February, with eight times when no measurable rain was recorded.

Long Beach Airport and UCLA recorded their second driest January and February on record. Long Beach Airport recorded .09 inches of rain and UCLA recorded .13 inches of rain in January and February.

City News Service contributed to this report.