SAN DIEGO — This year has been off to a rainy start for much of California, and San Diego is no exception.
With all the wet weather the region has experienced as of late, San Diegans may be surprised to learn that when it comes to the number of (measurable) rain days, these last few months haven’t exactly shattered records.
The National Weather Service in San Diego compiled a ranking to show how this “water year” is stacking up against previous ones. A water year, sometimes called a hydrologic year, starts Oct. 1 and goes through Sept. 30 in the Northern Hemisphere.
This water year thus far — Oct. 1 through March 21 — comes in at No. 11 with 45 rain days in San Diego.
Which same time period holds the record? Oct. 1, 1951 through March 21, 1952 saw a whopping 53 rain days.
| Rank | Number of rain days | Year |
| 1 | 53 | 1951-1952 |
| 2 | 50 | 1914-1915 |
| 2 | 50 | 1943-1944 |
| 4 | 49 | 1889-1890 |
| 4 | 49 | 1936-1937 |
| 4 | 49 | 1943-1944 |
| 7 | 48 | 1972-1973 |
| 8 | 47 | 1977-1978 |
| 8 | 47 | 2004-2005 |
| 10 | 46 | 1982-1983 |
| 11 | 45 | 2022-2023 |
The entire water year that saw the most rain days in San Diego was Oct. 1, 1883 through Sept. 30, 1884, which had 75 days of rain, according to NWS. The runner-up, with 70 rain days, was almost a century later: Oct. 1, 1982 through Sept. 30, 1983.
So while this water year hasn’t been record-breaking, 45 days of rain out of the past 172 days is substantial — that’s an average of one day of rain every four days.
The Golden State has seen 12 atmospheric river events since late December, with the most recent hitting San Diego Tuesday, bringing heavy showers and gusty winds.
The seemingly relentless precipitation has brought about noticeably greener landscapes across the state and as of Thursday, 44% of California was no longer in a drought. But experts warn that the rain-fueled vegetation growth could heighten wildfire risk.
