The heavy rainfall last weekend broke a record for December rainfall in Jefferson, according to volunteer weather observer John Beltz.
Jefferson received a total of 3.5 inches of precipitation, including one-half inch of snow, during the week that ended Dec. 18 at 6 am. The 1.98 inches of rain that fell Sunday morning (Dec. 13) into Monday morning broke the previous record for 24-hour precipitation in December. The old record was 1.92 inches on Dec. 28, 1982.
The weather pattern was widespread, and while Jefferson residents with water-prone basements saw the results immediately, the Raccoon River didn’t crest in Jefferson until mid-day Thursday. According to the National Weather Service, the river reached 18.21 feet. Flood stage is 19 feet.
Friday afternoon the N. Raccoon River was at 20.02 feet in Perry, 5 feet over flood stage. Click here for information.
According to the National Weather Service, the easy calculation that one inch of rain equals 10 inches of snow is correct only some of the time. There is a range of eight to 14 inches of snow per inch of rain, depending on the temperature and the type of snow. Jefferson would have received between 28 and 49 inches of snow last weekend.
There is no snow cover in Jefferson now, and the Weather Underground 10-day forecast does not call for snow before Christmas. It may be a green Christmas in Greene County.
