WESTSIDE -- The rainfall over the weekend appears to have pushed the December rainfall totals well over the record for Gravette and the surrounding area.
According to Dodie Evans, keeper of the NOAA weather station and records for Gravette, the record rainfall for December was 10 inches in 1984 -- with 0.41 inches of that from a 6.8" snowfall on Dec. 5 and the rest from rainfall on nine days during the month. According to notations made on Dec. 21, 1984, the Spavinaw Creek was out of its banks and caused minor road damage. The creeks were again out of their banks on Dec. 31 of that year.
The closest to the 1984 December record was 8.53 inches in 1987.
This year, the Gravette station recorded 0.94 inches on Saturday, 6.90 on Sunday, and 1.58 inches on Monday -- almost as much in three days as in the whole record year of 1984. Add to that 2.78 inches on Dec. 13, .18 inches on Dec. 14, .02 on the 18th, .03 on the 21st, and .09 on the 23rd, the December total as of 6 p.m. on Monday was at 12.52 inches.
Others in the area recorded greater amounts between Saturday and Monday.
According to Evans, the average annual rainfall for December (in records dating back to 1930) is 2.74 inches.
General News on 12/30/2015