Dry and cool statewide, with no big surprises

Friday, Jan. 2, 1998 | 4:52 a.m.

"Precipitation was especially deficit with only a half or less of the normal amount falling," James said on Friday.

For Reno, that meant 0.58 of an inch at the airport, just over half of the normal 0.99 of an inch. Las Vegas was really dry, with 0.07 of an inch, 0.31 of an inch below average for December.

After three straight wet winters, James said the first three months of the current water year, which began Oct. 1, had produced about 50 to 60 percent of the normal precipitation except in eastern Nevada, which was running between 75 and 85 percent.

Reno's December temperature average was exactly 1 degree below freezing at 31 degrees, 1.7 degrees below normal. Las Vegas averaged 45.9 degrees, just 0.2 of a degree above normal, James said.

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