In an article on WUWT, Anthony Watts had a couple of very nice water charts for the Western States and for the USA in total. I’ve put updated versions of those in this posting where we can see even more water has fallen.
I’ve not (yet) figured out how to link to live maps of the below data (it may not be possible as they are created on the fly from choices at the top page as near as I can tell) but here is the state of precipitation for the last 7 days as of now. You can click on them to get a larger version:
USA Precipitation in Inches 23 Dec 2010
Western States Closeup
Western States 7 Day Precipitation in Inches 23 Dec 2010
Note that ‘white spot’ on the California inches map is “20 inches and above”. Yeah, that’s a lot of water…
For the Metric Inclined, here is the same graph with “metric” selected. The white spot is 508 mm and above. Yeah, over 1/2 a meter of water.
Western States 7 Day Precipitation in mm 23 Dec 2010
Percent of Normal for 7 Days
Western States 7 Day Precipitation Percent of Normal 23 Dec 2010
Note that the Magenta color on that last chart is 600% of “normal”…
It’s been raining and snowing a lot.
Other Information
You can make your own versions from the web site here:
http://water.weather.gov/precip/index.php
There are links to ‘live charts’ of the individual state stream flow and water quantities in these prior postings:
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/streamflow-in-the-west/
With a load of live weather charts here:
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/california-weather-now/
National Year To Date?
Here is the chart of “percent of normal” for the year to date (that is almost over, one week to go). It shows that most of the country is either nearly normal or wetter than normal (with just a couple of ‘drought’ spots left).
Precipitation Year To Date 23 Dec 2010
I can only assume that now the “AGW Playbook” will be updated to say that drought is no longer an indicator of AGW, but instead flooding and increased rainfall are the hallmarks. But they’ve spent so much time propagandizing to the public that hot = drought that this might be a tough sell. Especially when a lot of that “precipitation” is falling as snow ;-)
Musings from the Chiefio 
Looks like the Southern US is going to get a snowstorm for Christmas:
http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/43364/snowstorm-threat-shifts-south.asp
EM
have you seen the earthquakes at bonin island japan. pull up where it shows all the earthquakes on the asia map. there’s been over 30 5 + quakes (6.3 and a 7.4 also) in the last three days. Now that’ some shakin.
@TIm Clark: WOW !
No, hadn’t heard… I’ll have to take a look.
While I don’t have a posting up yet, this link still has live maps of the area in it. That’s a Big ‘un!
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/quakes-string-of-pearls-5s-asia-6-2-new-guinea/
It would be intresting to see the year to date chart as a “water year” chart which I think begns in October.
Would someone please explain just what the term “normal” actually means in the context of daily temperature or precipitation?
Of the human body, the normal temperature is about 98.6 degrees F. A deviation of a single degree either side means that the temperature is abnormal, and something is wrong, perhaps seriously wrong, that is, the person is ill. Here, the term “normal” has real meaning, and since the vast majority of people in the western culture world have had their body temperature measured and commented on by a doctor a good many times, this is the context in which the term “normal” is thought of by most people, especially younger people. Folks over 40 or so most likely just chuckle, and say to themselves, “What fools these people be.”
Using the term “normal” indicates to most people that all that much of a deviance is abnormal, which is simply not true. Using the term “normal” is completely misleading, especially to younger folk.
With the gross variances in temperature history for any single day on a historical basis, it is quite absurd to use the term “normal”. Even calculated average has no meaning, but “average” would be better than “normal”.
Perhaps it might be better expressed as “average” with a plus or minus expression, such as, “average 75 degrees F + 35/-40 degrees, or average 0.85 inches of precipitation +2.55/-0.85 inches (from historical records). Better yet, when announcing the average temperature or precipitation, also announce with it the historical high and low measurement.
Oh well, that would most likely take both the panic/worry and the fun out of it. On the other hand, it would be far more interesting, at least for me. And I would guess, for most other people.
Young people, ages 18 to 30, do get to vote, and most have little experience in extremes of weather. Thus, they are the most gullible in terms of worrying seriously about what they shouldn’t be worried about at all in terms of climate or weather. the public school system now mostly encourages this needless worrying. We knowledgeable people should not unwittingly be in the camp of the enemies of knowledge.
Sorry if I sound as if I am lecturing to anyone, but this serious business. Unwittingly, we are bringing our woes upon ourselves.
Yes, I’m resolved to give a talk at my high school about AGW. Maybe I’ll try rope the Cheifio into coaching me on my talk.
How to organize the vast amounts of info?
I just noticed that I go into HTTPS mode when I click the links on your homepage.
Probably a good thing.
Merry Christmas to all!
RR
@Ruhroh:
Had a talk with some folks over dinner the other night and realized how much “uphill” it is with “newbies”. Spent a good 5 minutes just on “CO2 HAS been higher in the past” trying to convince them I wan’t just making it up…
Basics basics basics…
On the HTTPS thing: Maybe something I set? I was changing my LOGIN to be more secure, perhaps it makes the whole place “S” mode? Don’t think it hurts anything…
@Lawrence M. Sheehan, P.E.:
I think “normal” is a poor way of saying “Average over a particular period we chose” without scaring the mathematically uninclined. Yeah, I’d like “average” better too.
You can get “water year” as one of the options on the other end of the site link above. It shows Drought in Texas IIRC…
Left most date scroll box, go all the way to the bottom.
OK, https:// is gone, now back to http for on=page lynx.
Merry Christmas
RR
EM
Joe Bastardi has a video where he explains where the Cali rain is coming from:
http://www.accuweather.com/video/73146202001/not-bananas-over-pineapple-exp.asp?channel=winter_expert