by Barney Leach
Total rainfall for 2017 was slightly above normal at 45.60 inches. We did have a three-month drought period (September, October, and November) for which we received only 5.24 inches of rain and only five days with measureable rainfall. Normal rainfall for that period is 12.23 inches.
Wettest month of the year was August with 5.41 inches. Driest month was November with 1.17 inch. Rainfall for 2017 was 1.79 inch above normal.
We did have some frozen precipitation with a trace of sleet on December 6 and a trace of snow on December 7 and December 31.
December closed out the year with 5.13 inches of rain and nine days with measureable rainfall. Normal rainfall for December is 3.97 inches.
Temperature-wise, 2017 was our hottest year since 2011 with 25 triple-digit temperature days. Our hottest day of the year was 105 degrees on August 19. The coldest day of the year was 12 degrees on January 24. The year clocked out at midnight December 31 somewhat below freezing even though it was our hottest year in a while.
2017 RAINFALL BY MONTH IN INCHES
Month Rainfall (inches) Normal Departure
January 5.75 3.62 +2.13
February 3.25 3.36 -0.11
March 4.25 4.33 -0.08
April 5.06 3.30 +1.76
May 4.82 4.59 +0.23
June 4.16 4.03 +0.13
July 2.53 1.95 +0.58
August 5.41 2.43 +2.98
September 1.61 3.06 -1.45
October 2.46 5.30 -2.84
November 1.17 3.87 -2.70
December 5.13 3.97 +1.16
Totals 45.60 43.81 +1.79
LOOKING AHEAD TO JANUARY: January is normally our coldest month of the year. Normal rainfall for January is 3.62 inches. According to the 2018 Farmer’s Almanac, January temperatures will be below to near normal for most of Texas with below normal rainfall for east Texas.
The above rainfall and temperature data was recorded by Barney Leach, former volunteer co-op weather observer for the National Weather Service and former weather volunteer for Channel 8 in Dallas, Channel 10 in Waco, and radio station KNES in Fairfield.
FAIRFIELD/FREESTONE COUNTY RAINFALL NORMALS
The following chart contains monthly rainfall data for Fairfield / Freestone County over the 24 year period from 1994 through 2017.
Rainfall data listed for the 1997 to 2007 period was recorded in an official capacity as a Volunteer Co-op Weather Observer with the National Weather Service with official National Weather Service equipment.
Rainfall data from 2008 through 2017 was not recorded in an official capacity or with official equipment.
The monthly rainfall normals listed below (in inches) were derived from averages over the 20-year period from 1997 through 2016.
RAINFALL AVERAGES BY MONTH IN INCHES
January 3.12
February 3.36
March 4.33
April 3.30
May 4.59
June 4.03
July 1.95
August 2.43
September 3.06
October 5.30
November 3.87
December 3.97
Current normal annual rainfall for the Fairfield / Freestone County area is 43.81 inches.
Rainfall data was recorded by Barney Leach, former Co-op Weather Volunteer for the National Weather Service.
