Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

December dry, as was most of 2005

Not only was there no white Christmas, there was virtually no rain during the month of December.

However, there was a spate of snow. It didnt amount to much and didnt stick, much to the consternation of many people who wanted the white stuff around for the holidays.

In Prescott the total precipitation for the month was well below normal at 0.54 inch, according to weather watcher Phillip McAdams. Davis Benton, Cale meteorologist, agreed, saying the south part of the county only received 0.78 inch of rain in December.

Benton said this brought the total to 32.58 inches for the year, which is about 23 inches below normal. It was the driest year since records began 26 years ago.

McAdams said there were several small rain showers in December, with rain falling on Dec. 7, 8, 13, 14 and 24, with a trace of freezing rain on Dec. 7.

The total rainfall for 2005, McAdams said, was 33.28 inches, or 23.05 inches below normal. If not for the 6.02 inches of long, soaking rainfall as a direct result of the two hurricanes that made landfall on the Louisiana coast in September, he said, the total rainfall for the year would have been 27.26 inches, or 29.07 inches below normal.

It was both hot and cold during December. Hot, at least, for that time of the year. McAdams said the high topped out at 79 degrees on Dec. 3, while the mercury dipped to 16 degrees on Dec. 10.

Benton said the Cale area saw a high of 82, with the low falling to 15.

According to McAdams, the average daily high was 56 degrees, while the average daily low was 30.

January and 2006 began where December and 2005 left off  warm temperatures and dry weather, with the City of Prescott and Nevada County under burn bans.