If you're not a paddler but you're reading these posts you may be wondering what the obsession with rain is all about.  First, its not every day that a place gets that much rain.  But the more imporant thing to know is that paddlers are obsessed with rainfall.

This is for a number of reasons.  Of course, whitewater paddlers need rain to bring the rivers and the rapids up.  This same concept applies to all inland bodies of water.  More rain, means more water, more water, means better paddling conditions.  Its pretty simple actually. 

In South Florida, for instance, more water in the Everglades opens up a number of otherwise unnavigable routes.

This is truly unbelievable!  When all was said and done, Hallandale Beach, FL received over 13" of rain.  Of course, all of South Florida was hit hard, but Hallandale seemed to get the brunt of it.  In case 13" of rain in a 2 day period is difficult to understand there's a conversion that will help put things into perspective for you northerners. 

The ratio of inches of rain to feet of snow is generally assumed to be 10:1.  Of course, this varies with temperature among other factors, but 10:1 is a pretty safe bet.  That means that 13 inches of rain is roughly equal to 13 feet of snow.  Now thats a lot of water!

Its still raining down here!  Unbelievable.   Many parking lots here are under water.  Insurance companies have setup hotlines to handle flood claims, even for automobiles.  At this point Hallandale Beach seems to have gotten the brunt of the storm.  I can't wait to see the total rainfall when all is said and done.  I'll keep you all posted.

Wow!  Well, I guess all that time I spend rubbing in how down here in Florida we can paddle while the rest of you all stay bundled up has come back to haunt me.  We've been getting pouring rain and flooding for the last almost 12 hours.  And to make matters worse its supposed to continue through tomorrow.  

A brief look at Weather.com reveals that the whole East Coast is having rains, snows, and severe weather.  So I guess all of us here along the Atlantic Seaboard are in the same boat...no pun intended.

Stay dry and warm out there.

Hey, I think in the morning I'll go paddle down the street!