The Duncan Banner

Local News

September 28, 2012

Rainfall total surpasses last year

Joshua Kellogg The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — With the rainfall Duncan has received this week, the rain total for this year has surpassed last year’s total with three months left in the calendar year.

With the 0.21 inches of rain which fell on Wednesday and the 0.44 inches which fell on Thursday, Duncan has accumulated 1.81 inches for the month of September and 19.96 inches of rain for the year, as of Thursday.

Gary McManus, Associate State Climatologist for the Oklahoma Climatological Survey said while Duncan surpassed last year’s rain total in September, it’s coming off one of the worst droughts on record for the state.

“In comparing the two drought years, last year’s was the more extreme of the two years,” McManus said. “The fact we hit last year’s total, it is an indication how extreme last year was more than how good this year is.”

The total rainfall for 2011 was 19.4 inches, with 1.73 inches measured for September.

McManus said another key difference was Duncan started to see relief in October 2011, which lasted through March and parts of April this year. For the 2011 drought, McManus stated the drought really started in October 2010, lasting all of 2011, until Duncan received 5.48 inches of rain in October.

“Looking at totals with October of 2011 as a starting point, you’ve (Duncan) received 43.6 inches of rain,” McManus said. “That is a departure from normal, about 28 to 30 inches below for that time period. While we had relief, it’s been almost a year’s rainfall deficit since then.”

And there is plenty of time for this year’s rainfall total to increase with three months left in 2012, especially with the months of October, November and December last year receiving nearly 60 percent of the rainfall for 2011.

The Banner staff measured 11.6 inches of rainfall during the last three months of the year, accounting for 59.8 percent of the total rainfall for 2011.

According to the National Weather Service, the rainfall will continue today and Saturday with 40 to 50 percent chances of rainfall with the high temperatures forecasted in the low 80s and the lows forecasted in the evenings in the lower 60s.

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