Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Weather tempestuous as May comes to an end with severe storms

May was a wet month in Nevada County.

In Prescott a total of 7.57 inches of rain fell, according to weather watcher Phillip McAdams, with the largest amounts coming at the end of the month.

The month opened with 1.65 inches falling, he said, on the first and second, with another 1.54 inches falling on May 11-13. A total of 2.3 inches was recorded on May 27-27, while 2.05 inches fell on May 30, most of it coming in a period from 6:30-7:40 p.m.

Davis Benton said the Cale area had 14.38 inches of rain for May, with 9.75 inches falling in three hours on May 30, between 6-9 p.m.

Benton said this was more rain in three hours than the area had seen in the previous three months combined.

This, he said, brings the annual amount to 22.21 inches in Cale.

The southern part of the county, McAdams said, received heavier rainfall than did the Prescott area. South Nevada County also had more damage from winds and hail.

Trained storm spotters, he said, along with the Nevada County Rescue Unit reported what could have been a tornado. The Nevada County Weather Center radar images showed what could have been tornadic activity in the area as well.

According to the National Weather Service in Shreveport, La., McAdams said, along with physical observation of the damage to some property, suggests the activity could have been a tornado.

Temperatures were mostly normal for the month. The high, according to McAdams, was 86, while the low was 46. The high was recorded on May 20, while the low occurred on May 2-4.

The average daily high was 80 for the month, while the daily low was 62.

Benton said the mercury climbed to 89 n Cale, while the area's low was 47.