21 hours ago
Storm Team 8 Explainer: Why has Connecticut seen 15 consecutive weekends of rain?
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — Have you felt like it's rained every weekend lately?
Turns out. it has! 15 might've been the magical number in 101 Dalmatians — it's anything BUT a magical number for Connecticut, which has had 15 soggy weekends in a row.
Connecticut Weather Radar
The rain has put a damper on so many outdoor plans, from proms, to parades, to graduations, dog walks, weddings and more.
Starting from March 1 and 2 to this past weekend, we have had anywhere from a trace to over an inch of rain each weekend.
This isn't exactly a unique occurrence.
In 2024, 31 out of the first 36 weekends of the year had rain or snow. We also had quite the streak from April to September, when 21 out of 22 weekends featured rain showers.
The only dry weekend in that time was June 15 and 16.
So why are we doing this all over again? Why are we getting wet every weekend?
The one thing in common between this year and last year — the ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) cycle was in a neutral phase.
There are three main phases to the ENSO cycle: El Nino, La Nina and neutral.
When the pattern is in a neutral phase, that means the jet stream comes down from Canada, cuts through the Midwest, and across the Delmarva Peninsula.
Storm systems are driven by the jet stream, so when we see this set up, we may dodge some direct hits, but we can still tap into some wet weather.
To answer WHY it is happening on weekends — it's pure coincidence. Or bad luck. Or karma.
But why stop at 15? It's possible we could go for weekend number 16.
The dog days of summer will be here soon enough.
Some DRY dog days would be nice.
In the meantime, my apologies if you've had to move your plans indoors.
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