Record-setting rainfall this summer in area
Record-setting precipitation was recorded in the region during August.
The summer of 2016 also has been a record-setter when it comes to rainfall.
The National Weather Service office in Paducah reported on its website that “numerous locations” in Southern Illinois, Southeast Missouri and Western Kentucky reported their “wettest August on record.”
August rainfall totals ranged from 5 to 12 inches “over a good portion of the region, with some isolated higher totals upwards of 17 inches,” the weather service reported.
Weather observer Dana Cross recorded a total of 9.33 inches of rain in Jonesboro during August. (That followed a total of 7.71 inches of rain for July. The total for the two months was 17.04 inches.)
“Typically August is one of the driest months of the year with normal precipitation around 3 inches for the month,” the weather service noted.
“August 2016 was far from normal though, with amounts ranging from 200 to 500 percent above normal in many spots.”
Toward the end of the month, the wet pattern started to ease up, the weather service added.
Temperatures in the region during August generally were 1 to 2 degrees above normal.
The summer of 2016 “will be remembered for being extremely wet over the region, along with above normal temperatures,” the weather service reported.
The weather service considers the months of June, July and August to be summer.
“Many locations experienced their wettest summer on record, with observing sites in our area picking up at least 20 inches of rain,” the weather service noted. A couple of locations even had more than 30 inches of rain.
Normal summer precipitation in the region is around 10 to 12 inches.
High temperatures were reported to have been “near normal to slightly above normal.”
Local Weather for August
Weather observer Dana Cross recorded the following statistics for August in Jonesboro:
The high temperature for the month of August was 97 degrees, which was recorded on Aug. 10. The average high for the month was 89.
The low for the month was 57, which was recorded on Aug. 22. The average low was 70.
During the month, precipitation totalled 9.33 inches.
The most rain in a 24-hour period was 2.94 inches, recorded on Aug. 13.
Precipitation for the year 2016 through the end of August totalled 44.68 inches.
Recent Weather
The last two weeks in the Union County area have been relatively dry, with only 1.52 inches of rain measured on Sept. 8.
Following are temperatures for the period of Aug. 30 through Sept. 12:
H L
Tuesday, Aug. 30 94 71
Wednesday, Aug. 31 90 70
Thursday, Sept. 1 82 66
Friday, Sept. 2 80 60
Saturday, Sept. 3 83 59
Sunday, Sept. 4 92 58
Monday, Sept. 5 92 69
Tuesday, Sept. 6 94 69
Wednesday, Sept. 7 92 69
Thursday, Sept. 8 94 72
Friday, Sept. 9 92 72
Saturday, Sept. 10 83 59
Sunday, Sept. 11 82 55
Monday, Sept. 12 82 53