November brings more moisture to Los Alamos, less to White Rock

In Los Alamos last month, 6.6 inches of snowfall was recorded at the Technical Area 6 measuring station, said Scot Johnson of Meteorology and Air Quality (RRES-MAQ). Total precipitation for the month in Los Alamos was 1.36 inches or 14 percent above average, he noted.

In White Rock, total recorded precipitation in November at the Technical Area 54 measuring station was .79 of an inch, or about 15 percent below normal (0.93), he said.

In Los Alamos, the mean maximum temperature of 47 degrees Fahrenheit was 1 F below normal last month. The mean temperature of 37 F was normal, and the mean minimum temperature in Los Alamos last month was 27 degrees F, or 1 F above normal.

The mean maximum temperature of 50 degrees F in White Rock in November was 2 F below normal, while the mean and mean minimum temperatures also were at or slightly below normal, said Johnson.

Wind gusts exceeding 40 miles per hour were recorded on Nov. 8, 9 and 10 in Los Alamos, including a peak wind gust of 53 miles per hour on Nov. 9.

The three-month forecast through February 2003 calls for average temperatures but greater than normal precipitation. Johnson said a mild-to-moderate El Nino, which tends to bring more precipitation and cold temperatures to the southwestern United States, combined with a shift in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation away from a recent 4-year cold phase, associated with below normal snowfall to the area, to a neutral phase, could bode well for additional precipitation this winter in Los Alamos and White Rock.

More information about weather in the region can be found at http://weather.lanl.gov online.

-- Steve Sandoval

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