April Showers

April 16, 2008

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Profile America — Wednesday, April 16th. It’s said that April showers bring May flowers. While the colors of the flowers are always appreciated after the long winter, many parts of the U.S. would prefer the rain after last year’s drought. Even though some areas had unprecedented rain shortages, others had unusually high rainfall, both can be a problem. America’s rainiest city is not, as might be imagined, Seattle, but Mobile, Alabama, at more than 66 inches a year on average. Other cities with high average rainfall are Miami and Juneau, Alaska, at more than 58 inches. On the other hand, the lowest average rainfalls are in Reno, Phoenix and El Paso, all under 10 inches annually. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 380
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html