Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Rainfall About Normal

By JOHN MILLER

September's rainfall was just about normal.

The average rainfall amount for the ninth month of the year in Nevada County is 4.29 inches, while 3.05 inches of moisture fell. This left the county 1.24 inches below normal.

For the year, 40.41 inches of the wet stuff should have fallen from the skies, but only 35.43 inches has. This leaves the region in a deficit situation at 4.98 inches.

According to local meteorologist John Teeter, it rained nine days in September, with the largest single amount recorded being 0.80 inches on Sept. 26.

He said there were four watches or warnings during the month, with a tornado touching down in the southeast part of the county -- primarily in the Cale area. This, Teeter said, was the most serious weather event of the month.

The average temperature for September was 71.2 degrees, some 3.7 degrees below normal, which is 74.9 degrees. The high temperature for the month was 90 degrees, recorded on the sixth and seventh.

The lowest temperature recorded for September was 45 degrees on the 28th and 29th. The lowest high was 71 on Sept. 17, was unusual, he said, but not a record low high.

Officially, Teeter said, summer is over. At least this is what the calendar states. Everyone has complained about the heat, but Teeter reminds everyone again what hot summers are really like.

In 1930, there were 57 days where the mercury climbed above 100 degrees, with the all time record high reaching 112 on July 29, 1930.

In 1954, there were 65 days of triple digit temperatures, with 111 being the highest recorded on July 17, 18.

The year of Mt. St. Helens, 1980, came in with 62 days of hundred plus temperatures in the region. August 20 was the hottest of the summer with 109 degrees.

This summer, Teeter said, the highest temperature recorded was only 97. In fact, he said the region has not had a true 100 degree reading in two years.

Looking at October statistics, Teeter said the normal amount of rainfall is 4.33 inches, while the mean temperature is 66.5 degrees.