Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Thursday's Rain Ends 44-Day Dry Spell In Prescott

BY JOHN MILLER

Here's some late-breaking news: It's been hot and dry.

Until Thursday, Aug. 26, only 0.10 inches of rain had fallen in the Prescott area for the month, according to John W. Teeter, local meteorologist.

Thursday, Teeter said, it rained 0.58 inches in the area, but Prescott is still four inches below normal for the month.

In addition, he said, the mercury climbed to 104 degrees Thursday.

The last appreciable rain was in the middle of the month, Teeter said. But, before Thursday's rain, it had been 44 days with only 0.18 inches having fallen.

Davis Benton, the weatherman for the southern part of the county, said the Cale area received 0.88 inches Thursday.

Before then, he said, there had been no rain there since July 25.

Benton was at the Nevada County weather center until about 10 p.m. Thursday, and said it appeared as though all parts of the county got some rain, though some received more than others.

In the Cale area, lightning struck a cabin at Barham Lake, burning it to the ground.

The winds were clocked at 35 miles per hour, Benton said, but gusted higher as trees were down in some parts of the county.

He said the temperature in the southern part of the county has reached the 108 degree mark, with there having been 15 straight days of 100-plus degree heat.

Rex Dollar, with the Nevada County Extension Service, said any rain the area gets is welcome, but what fell Thursday night wasn't enough to do much good.

No figures are available on how much damage the drought of 1999 has caused, but, he said, it's been tough on the farmers and ranchers.

One problem is there is no hay. After a good first cutting earlier this year, the lack of rain has eliminated further cuttings as no hay has grown.

This could cause problems for some ranchers, Dollar said, if they expected to have more than one good cutting of hay and sold off part of their first cutting.

These farmers, he said, may have to buy hay for their cattle.

While the cattle aren't starving, there is a shortage of grass countywide. Again, this is due to the lack of rainfall this summer.

"I don't think anyone's having to feed hay yet," he said, "at least I haven't heard of any."

Thursday's rain, he added will help, but not much and wasn't what the area needed in the way of rainfall.

The half-inch received won't end the drought, he said. What rain did fall will quickly evaporate because of the extreme heat and humidity.

Teeter said the drought of '99 is nothing compared to the one in 1930, when the "dust bowl" era began.