Precipitation Running 239% of Normal

“Water, water everywhere – where is it all coming from?” is a common phrase in Ogden Dunes right now. A peek at the Precipitation chart below speaks volumes. (click on image to enlarge it)

For the last three years, precipitation has run ahead of normal. Making matters worse, much of this precipitation has come at times when it can do nothing more than accumulate on the ground or in Long Lake. For example:

• Look at the levels of precipitation received each fall since 2005 – coming at a time when plants are not transpiring and evaporating water into the atmosphere.
• Consider the winter precipitation as well – some as rain on frozen ground – others as snow and ice. For the past three years, we have had above average precip and ice in the winter when there is little or no evaporation.

It all adds up, and then is complicated by a messed up hydrology scientists still don’t fully understand. What we see, and have witnessed, is a cumulative effect of many factors.