There are days when my native state of California just can’t seem to get a break. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (yes, the federal government believes the atmosphere requires “administration”) reports that May was the wettest month in the last 120 years and that makes it official.
An average of 4.36 inches of rain or snow fell on the lower 48 states, topping the record of 4.29 that was set in October 2009. That translates into 200 trillion gallons of water and not a drop fell on California!
Even worse, this pervasive rain ended the five–year drought that had been plaguing arch–rival Texas and it did so in a single month. But as Jake Crouch, NOAA meteorologist interviewed by AP, said, “It’s like one disaster ending a catastrophe.”
Still Texas, the state that’s been attracting California residents and businesses, even appears to have the power to draw rainfall away from the formerly golden state.
Specifically, according to Gannett News Service, Texas alone received 35 trillion gallons of rain and that’s enough to cover the entire state to a depth of 8 inches. Or to put it in terms any Californian can understand, “that amount of rain could fill up California's 200 largest surface reservoirs to max capacity three times.” I wish.
The rest of the story only served to rub it in (and a dry rub at that). Colorado had the rainiest May ever. For Arkansas, Nebraska, and Utah it was the second rainiest month.
“Fourteen states had one of their 10 rainiest Mays on record, all of them west of the Mississippi River and east of California.”
Can you say competitive advantage? In California thieves are actually stealing water and residents are turning their neighbors into the Moisture Marshalls if their lawns are suspiciously green or their cars appear too clean. While in Texas, fish are practically drowning.
Strangely enough the only other three states that experienced unusually dry months last May were also, like California, run by entrenched Democrat political machines: Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey.
You almost wonder if the prospect of dying of thirst would be enough to prompt California voters to trying electing a few Republicans? But I suppose not. As long as leftist Democrats can continue to rain tax dollars down on their base, their support at the ballot box will never run dry.
Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan. He is president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation and chairman of the League of American Voters. Mike is an in-demand speaker with Premiere. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.