By Barney Leach
May 2019 produced our wettest month over the past 25 years (from December 1993 to present) with 15.38 inches of rain. The previous wettest month was October 2015 with 14.36 inches. For the month, we had ten days with measurable rainfall with a greatest on-day total of 5.26 inches on May 18. We also had marble-size hail on that day. Our normal rainfall for May is 4.67 inches.
Our total rainfall for the year now stands at 34.01 inches. Normal through May is 18.11 inches. We need only 8.40 inches more of rain to reach our normal 42.41 inches for the entire year. If the El Nino weather system persists on hanging around, we could get that much or more in June.
Until 2015, May was our normally wettest month of the year. October moved up to the number one position that year with the help of 14.04 inches of rain in 2013 and 14.36 inches in 2015. October moved further up in the standing last year with 11.33 inches of rain.
Temperature-wise, my temperature station is broken.
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
April 11.03 3.05 +7.98
May 15.38 4.67 +10.71
June 0 0 0
July 0 0 0
August 0 0 0
September 0 0 0
October 0 0 0
November 0 0 0
December 0 0 0
Totals 34.01 18.11 +15.90
LOOKING AHEAD TO JUNE: June is normally our third hottest month of the year so look for warmer temperatures ahead. Our normal rainfall for June is 3.97 inches.
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.
