Average Rainfall In Switzerland -

Switzerland, Emil knew, had an average annual rainfall of about 1,400 millimeters. But averages were liars. They smoothed the year into a gentle, reasonable puddle. They erased the September deluge that turned the Lütschine river into a furious brown serpent. They forgot the dry April when the edelweiss refused to bloom and the cows gave thin milk.

"Averages don't keep you company," he said finally. "But the rain does. Every drop has a number. Every number has a story. In Switzerland, we don't just have rainfall. We have a conversation with the sky. I just write down what it says." average rainfall in switzerland

Emil poured her a glass of Dôle Blanche and pointed to the shelf. Forty-three notebooks. Forty-three winters of scribbled decimals. Switzerland, Emil knew, had an average annual rainfall

Emil thought of the morning his wife died. He had still gone outside at seven, emptied the copper cylinder, recorded 12.7 millimeters. He thought of the summer he lost his barn to a mudslide—the rain gauge had read 89 millimeters in twenty-four hours. The ground had simply given up. They erased the September deluge that turned the

Emil glanced at his watch. "Seven-oh-two. Three point four millimeters. But the wind shifted ten minutes ago. We'll get more by noon."

"Today's measurement?" Lena asked, smiling.