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Droughts and Floods
Fri Feb 20, 2004
Listen in RealAudio 
Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton and this is The Weather Notebook. Last summer, Las Vegas, Nevada, experienced
torrential rains, which resulted in some pretty severe flooding. And yet, the area remains under a severe
drought. How can that be? Here's Andy Bailey, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National
Weather Service in Las Vegas.
AB: For instance, in 2002 we only picked up about 1.4 inches of rain for the whole year. Now our
average yearly total is only four and a half inches. We do live in the desert so we're - we're kind of
accustomed to that. But what really makes our drought significant is the fact that the western slopes of
the Rocky Mountains have also been in a drought for the last couple of years. As a result, all the runoff
and snow melt coming off the Rockies that would normally fill up the big reservoirs like Lake Powell and
Lake Mead isn't there and that's where we get most of - in fact that's where we get all of - our drinking
water, is Lake Mead. So as that goes down, we really feel the crunch here in Las Vegas.
BY: So, the rain that falls here in Las Vegas really doesn't do that much good.
AB: That's right. So far this year we're like two inches above normal for rainfall. We've picked up over five
inches of rain so far this year, when normally we should be right around three inches or so, you know,
and the lake is still down like 60 feet from where it should be. It really doesn't do a whole lot to replenish
our water supply.
BY: So, are the folks in Las Vegas hoping for a great Colorado ski season? You can bet on it.
The Weather Notebook is produced by the Mount Washington Observatory and funded by Subaru of
America and the National Science Foundation. We can be found online at www.weathernotebook.org.
Special funding comes from Davis Instruments, makers of the car chip, a black box for your car. Thanks
today to Technical Producer, Doug Sanborn. Thanks also to Marketing Manager, Melody Nester.
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