By Barney Leach
March fell way short on rainfall with only five days with measureable rainfall and a total of 1.53 inches. Normal rainfall for March is 4.33 inches. Our greatest one-day total was 0.78 inch on March 12. All but 0.24 inch fell on March 12 and 14.
Our total rainfall for the year stands at 7.60 inches. Normal through March is 11.31 inches. Most of our rainfall for the year has been light and has all soaked in keeping the ground fairly wet. We have had an inch or more of rain at one time only once for the year which was 2.52 inches on January 2nd and 3rd.
Temperature-wise, March defied the ground hog’s prognostication of an early spring with our coldest temperature for the winter of 27 degrees on March 5. High temperature for the month was fairly early in the month at 87 degrees on March 9 and exceeded February’s high by only two degrees. Overall, we had a fairly mild winter with only nine days of freezing or below temperatures.
2019 RAINFALL BY MONTH IN INCHES
Month Rainfall (inches) Normal Departure
January 3.79 3.62 +0.17
February 2.25 3.36 -1.11
March 1.53 4.33 -2.80
Totals 7.60 11.31 -3.71
LOOKING AHEAD TO APRIL: Normal rainfall for April is 3.30 inches. Last year produced our second driest April in the past 15 years at 1.18 inches; however, we have averaged 4.39 inches for April over the past five years. Last year also produced the third coolest April on record for our area.
Normal rainfall values currently used were derived from averages over the twenty-year period from 1997 through 2016.
The above rainfall and temperature data was recorded by Barney Leach, former volunteer co-op weather volunteer for the National Weather Service and former weather volunteer for Channel 8 in Dallas, Channel 10 in Waco, and radio station KNES in Fairfield.
