Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Weather | Read what local weather stations are telling us.
Imagery | Local gov’t seen through video broadcasts.
Rain! Rain! Wind?
NEWSBOY rounds up monthly data from Weather Underground and uses it to track measurements of rainfall recorded at various digital weather stations in the Willits area.
Rainfall is tracked on the hydrologic or water year that starts over on October 1 each year.
This is the data from four area stations from Oct. 1 to 11:30 AM today:
Average rainfall across these four stations is 22.56 inches on the season.
Timberline Road topped the Willits Valley by 1/10 an inch for the most rain in October.
In fact, each station has set the highest rainfall amount one time, so far.
South Main is ahead of Brooktrails; a difference of 400-feet elevation separates them or 1,365 feet at South Main and East SF Avenue and 1,808-feet near the junction of Brooktrails Drive and Sherwood Road.
If you need a source of on-demand weather information or projected rainfall, try the National Weather Service’s page for the Willits area.
Today, NWS says to expect 1 or 2 inches and another 1 or 2 inches tonight. There is a hazard warning out for these conditions and the flooding and wind that is forecast.
Winds of 24 to 28 miles-per-hour are forecast, with gusts up 49 miles-per-hour, according to NWS.
Been here a while?
Remember when Highway 101 flooded north of Willits, near the “old mill site” in the 90s?
That’s when you know it’s really raining.
Reynold’s Highway not far from the main highway has also seen water when it gets bad.
Looking back at the records, it looks like we fell behind in October this season.
October ‘21 had most all Willits-area stations with 10 or more inches.
The big rain at the end of December, without doubt, flushed all creeks and drainages out.
December 31 recorded the greatest totals and the rain continued with the four stations receiving from 1.33 inches to 2.39 inches the next day.
December 31 rainfall:
Timberline Rd. at Middle Rd.--4.49
Brooktrails Dr. at Sherwood Rd.--5.11
S. Main at E. SF Ave.--3.84
Valley Rd. at Davis Ln.--4.45
News photo-gathering technique
Newspapers used to have staff photographers. Even the small town papers had a photographer on the payroll.
People who publish news today are self sufficient for gathering news images.
For better or for worse, cell phone pictures are common and digital cameras make it easier than ever to produce images that can cut the mustard.
But it could be said that the screenshot is being deployed more often than not.
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