Rainfall slightly up in Platte Valley

Even though it may seem the Platte Valley has received more rain than usual, meteorologist Shawn Leibl with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said precipitation is up in the Platte Valley, but not as much as you might think.

The last two months, Saratoga has seen 5.3 inches of rain as of Sept. 12 — which is slightly above normal rainfall. Leibl said there is an average of 4.14 inches of rain between July and now. While the last two months have seen a larger amount of rain, Liebl said annually the Platte Valley is on average.

“This year through June, Saratoga was technically below average normal. Precipitation from July and August made up for the rest of the year,” Leibl said.

Leibl added the rain activity is not too much out of the normal for this time of year.

A variable to consider, Leibl said, is the data is dependent on a weather monitor tower five miles north of Saratoga. With fast-moving storms, other areas in the Valley may have received more or less rainfall.

Leibl said the current wet weather is no indication of winter conditions.

“Usually one season doesn’t have a lot of impact on another season,” Leibl said. “Weather patterns tend to change every four to eight weeks … it’s tough to judge how winter will be.”

The current climate models are predicting an El Nino winter. Leibl said this means it will likely bring warmer and wetter weather in this region.