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Above-Average Rainfall Forecast For Bay Area Winter

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- For the first time in a long time, above-average rainfall is predicted for all of California.

On the heels of the wettest day in San Francisco (0.55" as of 7pm) since April Fool's Day Thursday, there's news that our recent soggy weather pattern may be something that sticks with us all the way through Christmas.

The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) creates an outlook for the following month a week or two before that month begins, and the outlook for December is very welcome news for the Bay Area.

So what exactly does this mean?  First, it's not always correct.  I've seen plenty of these outlooks not verify.  But it absolutely is a promising sign.  Second, it's an "outlook", not a "forecast".  There's a big difference.  A forecast says "It's going to rain on December 5".  That's not what this product does.  It does say, however, that conditions are favorable for more rain than what is typical for the Bay Area in December.  The final month of the year is already one of our wetter months, so this means there's a decent likelihood of a soggy December.  That's exactly what all of California needs.

One wet month won't get us out of a drought that took three years to create.  But it would help, and if we're able to string together three or four straight wet months (and snowy in the Sierra), our drought might not be as dire come next spring.

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