As promised, let’s review some rainfall for January from your friends and neighbors: Claudia Chiasson, Carson, 15.05 inches; Tyler Mode, Battle Ground, 7.43 inches; Bob Starr, Cougar, 18.33 inches; Gary Collins, Brush Prairie, 8.91 inches; Phil Delany, above Dole Valley, 13.80 inches; Robin Ruzek, Lake Shore, 8.36 inches; Pete Conrad near Tukes Mountain, 7.91 inches; Merle Moore, 2 miles west of Yacolt, 12.71 inches; Dan Hein, Camas, 9.32 inches; Dave Campbell, 1 mile west of Heisson, 7.72 inches; Bill Sobolewski, Livingston Mountain, 9.62 inches; Judy Darke, Felida, 7.92 inches; Larry Lebsack, Barberton, 8.31 inches; Ellen Smart, Ridgefield, 9.30 inches; Chuck Houghten, Hockinson Heights, 9.66 inches; Jim Knoll, Five Corners, 8.32 inches; Bob Mode, Minnehaha, 5.98 inches; and our friend Roland Derksen, from the Vancouver up north, with 8.04 inches. I measured 7.58 inches here in Salmon Creek. The official rainfall for Vancouver was 7.10 inches.
If you compare many of these rainfall amounts to December, a good share of them were just about one-half the amount from December. Did January seem half as dry as December? Seems like the days all run together when it is raining so much.
Speaking of raining, that was quite the downpour around 4 p.m. Wednesday, wasn’t it? One of those frog-strangling, overflowing-the-gutter-type rains. The weather Wednesday literally changed abruptly in just one hour. From a partly sunny, balmy 62 degrees to dark as night heavy rain. That was the vigorous cold front that was off the coast that could have brought a few scattered thunderstorms as well. I didn’t see any lighting flashes or hear any thunder; perhaps you did.
Snow levels plummeted behind the front and the next batch of rain today and Friday will fall as snow well below the passes. I’m sure as skies clear somewhat on Saturday, those rocky crags will be covered once again.
