Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

January Weather Was Typical

Here's a news flash January was a wet month in Nevada County.

John Teeter, local meteorologist, said this area received 8.74 inches of rain during the first month of 1999.

The normal rainfall for January in this region is 4.51 inches. So, with the extra amount falling, he said, the Prescott sector is up 4.23 inches above normal.

And, interestingly enough, it only rained seven days during the month. This meant there were 24 days when it didn't rain.

When it rained in January, then, it really rained. The largest single day amount fell on Jan. 2 when 2.75 inches hit the ground.

According to Cale weatherman Davis Benton, the southern part of Nevada County saw 10.25 inches of rain fall. This, he said, is about twice as much as normal.

During a three-day period, from Jan. 28-30, he added, 5.75 inches of rain drenched the earth in the Cale area.

On Jan. 22, Benton continued, winds gusted to gale force as they reached 70 miles per hour, causing a lot of damage by knocking down trees.

Teeter said this January was typical as far as weather patterns go. It was warm, cold, wet and dry.

The record high for the month was 76 degrees. There was also a record "low" high for the month, when the mercury only climbed to 29 degrees.

The lowest temperature reached for the month was a frigid 14 on Jan. 4, 5.

"We haven't kept records on foggy days," Teeter said, "but I'm sure the nine foggy days during January 1999 may well be a record."

He said three watches or warnings were issued during the month. This is the usual number, but what separated them from the norm is the severity of weather conditions accompanying the watches and warnings.

A tornado passing to the west of the weather station at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 21, caused light damage and no injuries, he said.

But, the thunderstorm striking the south part of the county in the wee hours of Jan. 22 caused more damage than the twister as it ripped roofs from houses and damaged chicken houses while knocking down trees.

Weather spotters on the ground estimated the winds speed at 70 mph. At the weather station, Teeter said, wind speed was clocked at 42 mph.

Another oddity for the month was the amount of rain falling from Jan. 3 to Jan. 21. Only a scant 0.03 inches, or just a trace, fell during this 18-day period.

The average temperature for the month was 45.05 degrees, or 2.01 degrees above the normal temp of 43.4.

Teeter said the wettest January on record occurred in 1937 when 14.7 inches of rain fell. The driest, though, was in 1986, when a minute 0.18 inches hit the ground during the month.

Turning to February, the normal average daily temperature, Teeter said, is 47.2 degrees, while the normal average rainfall is 4.08 inches.

Lately, though, the weather patterns in the area have been anything but normal.