ST. GEORGE — If people thought there has never been so much rain in St. George, they were right.
The National Weather Service said a 0.04-inch trickle of rain in St. George Sunday-Monday put the area over the top for the largest amount of rainfall and precipitation in a water year since local weather records started being kept in 1893.
The weather service defines a water year as the 12-month period from Oct. 1-Sept. 30 of the next year. St. George has had 15.79 inches of precipitation in this water year with 18 more days to go. The previous record was 15.77 in 1932.
As rainy as August was, it was far from what put this water year over the top in Southern Utah, according to John Cecava with the National Weather Service’s Salt Lake City office.
“For the summer, that was easily the wettest month, but back in wintertime there was a fair bit of precipitation,” Cecava said. “Close to 4 inches in March that added to the 3 inches in January.”
It was, in fact, the rainiest March in St. George’s history and the third-wettest January.
The first month of the year included St. George’s first measurable snowfall in two years and much heavier snowfall in higher elevations and Iron County. That snowpack combined with a large amount of rain in March made the local rivers roar to their highest level in more than a decade.
The explanation for the wettest year, according to Cecava, lies in a certain level of consistency.
“It was just right this year,” Cecava said. “The pattern setup allowed for a lot of sustained moisture in the area. We had a longer monsoon season last year, but the pattern was just right for the St. George area where storms were able to produce heavier rain and nice accumulation.”
It comes after three straight years below normal for precipitation. The water year totals for 2020 and 2021 combined are lower than 2023.
But a record has not yet been set in Cedar City, according to the weather service. The 11.99 inches of precipitation for this water year is short of the 12.81 inches in 1941.
As for the current calendar year, it is currently the fifth-wettest year in St. George with 13.6 inches of precipitation since Jan. 1. The record was 16.2 set in 2019.
But there are still three months to go, and Cecava said the St. George area will see at least a little bit of rain over the next day or so.
“Today’s probably the best chance as we dry out toward the weekend but there’s a low chance Wednesday and Thursday,” he said.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.