December surpasses average rainfall

A not-so-familiar sound has been hitting rooftops across the Palouse for the past two weeks, and it is not the sound of Santa and his reindeer (yet).

Rain has hit the Palouse, and it has been a much-needed boost for crops.

The average rainfall for Colfax in December is 2.93 inches, David Jones at the Colfax NRCS office said. That number was surpassed Monday when .49 inches of rain fell, bringing the total precipitation for the month so far to three inches. Precipitation numbers include snow and rain, Jones said.

“We have three inches even to date,” said Jones. “We are only halfway done with the month, and we are already above average.”

Local farmer Randy Suess last month told the Gazette that recent rains had brought some much needed moisture for the crop year, but more was still needed to replenish subsoils which were dried out from extreme heat and a lack of moisture earlier in the year. He even called for a “rain dance” to bring more rains.

“You did a good job!” he said of the recent rains. “I think the majority of that went into the ground. It is a good start.”

Jones said that local farmers should be pleased right now, especially with more rain and snow in the forecast for the remainder of the month.

“They should be very happy,” he said. “Most of the moisture is going into the ground.”

Suess said things are looking good so far with the crop year. He said that his gauges are measuring 5.5 inches of rain since the end of September, which is one third of the total amount needed for a crop year.

“I don't think there is such a thing as too much rain for a farmer,” he said.

Jones said his recorded December totals so far are .07 on Dec. 2, .07 on Dec. 4, 1.37 on Dec. 7, .35 on Dec. 8, .42 on Dec. 9, .23 on Dec. 10 and .49 on Dec. 14.

Rainfall for the crop year, which began Oct. 1, recorded by the NRCS office totals 6.09 inches so far. That figure is .59 inches below the average for October to December, but two weeks still remain in the month to reach the average, so that deficit might still be erased.

“It should be, yes indeed,” Jones said of the precipitation yet to come.

Last year's crop year totaled 16.32 inches, which lagged 3.72 inches behind a normal crop year of 20.04 inches, with the worst shortage being recorded in June this year as zero precipitation was recorded in a month that is key to finishing off crops.

Nancy Taylor, who records weather and precipitation readings in LaCrosse, had recorded 3.05 inches of precipitation in LaCrosse as of Dec. 14. The December average there is 2.07, and the record December precipitation there was recorded in 1996 at 5.7 inches.

Record December precipitation in Colfax is 5.85 inches, recorded in 1973, Jones said. In 1996 – LaCrosse's record year – Colfax recorded 5.1 inches, and in Colfax's record year LaCrosse recorded 4.5 inches.

Jones said he thinks the record could be surpassed this year.

“There's lots of moisture,” he said. “I think we could break it. We have got to keep it up.”