NASELLE – Was November a preview of an El Nino winter? November was a very dry month. It was the third-driest November in the last 25 years of recorded rainfall as kept at the Naselle Hatchery. Only 7.94 inches of moisture was collected in the rain bucket at that facility. The 5.15 inches collected in Nov. 1993 and the 6.15 inches in Nov. 2000 came in with lower totals.

The November rainfall average is 18.51 inches; the highest November rainfall on record was in 1983 when 32.67 inches overflowed the measuring gauge. November 2003 was close to the average with 17.09 inches.

The 11-month rainfall total for the year stands at 83.39 inches, well behind the 11-month average of 98.58 inches of rain. If December comes in at about the average, the year’s total should be well under the yearly average.

How did this dry month come about? There were only two storms with any significant amounts of rainfall. A one day total of 1.94 inches came down on Nov. 2 and another one-day storm brought 2 inches on Nov. 25. However, the days before and after those rain- filled days produced little rainfall and the customary three and four day storms did not materialize during the entire month. There were 19 days with measurable rainfall, and 11 days with no precipitation.