The annual rainfall averages twenty-three inches. That doesn’t mean that every year will be 23 inches. Weather is unpredictable so it might not rain at all or rain past the annual average. Then again it might just do that, rain twenty-three inches in the north valley of California.

And your question is...?

Logicians might call this an inductively reasoned argument. More likely than not (although not certainly), the conclusion will hold true given the premises.

That's correct! The annual average rainfall of twenty-three inches simply provides a general estimate of the normal or typical amount of rainfall received in a particular region. However, as you mentioned, weather is unpredictable, and actual rainfall in any given year can vary significantly from the average.

To determine the annual average rainfall for a specific location, meteorologists collect historical data over a long period of time, typically for several decades. They record the amount of rainfall received each year, and then calculate the average by summing up all the annual rainfall amounts and dividing it by the number of years.

For example, if a meteorologist wants to determine the annual average rainfall for the north valley of California, they would collect rainfall data from various monitoring stations in that area for several decades. Once they have the data, they would add up the annual rainfall amounts for each year and divide it by the number of years to obtain the average rainfall.

It's important to note that even though the annual average rainfall can provide a rough estimate, it doesn't mean that every year will exactly match that number. In some years, there may be more rainfall than the average, while in others there may be less. This variability is a result of natural climate patterns and weather fluctuations that occur over time.