Spring is typically a wet month. However over the past week, Eastern Kentucky has experienced unusual rainfall amounts. The record for the month is 10.78 inches in 2004; and no other year has been above 10 inches for May. The only year that saw over 9 inches of rainfall for May was in 1995. May during 1983 and 1984 were the only times over 7 inches of rainfall.
From the National Weather Service in Jackson, Kentucky:
"2 TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY DURING THE MONTH OF MAY. THIS IS OF INTEREST...SINCE WE ARE ONLY ABOUT ONE QUARTER OF THE WAY THROUGH THE MONTH. HEAVY RAINFALL IS VERY POSSIBLE AS WE HEAD INTO MOTHERS DAY WEEKEND AND COULD PUSH RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP ANOTHER INCH OR TWO. THE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF MAY AT THE JACKSON WEATHER OFFICE IS 4.92 INCHES. WE HAVE ALL READY RECORDED 4.12 INCHES OF RAINFALL AS OF THIS MORNING AT 7AM. IT IS TOO EARLY TO TELL ...BUT WE ARE CERTAINLY ON TRACK TO HAVE ONE OF THE RAINIEST MAYS EVER. THE RAINIEST MAY OCCURRED IN 2004 WHEN THE JACKSON WEATHER OFFICE RECORDED 10.78 INCHES FOR THE MONTH. THIS WAS THE ONLY MONTH OF MAY THAT OVER TEN INCHES OF RAIN FELL. MAY OF 1995 HAD 9.91 INCHES AND WAS THE ONLY MONTH WITH OVER 9 INCHES RECORDED. THE NEXT HIGHEST TOTALS WERE OVER 7 INCHES AND THAT OCCURRED IN ONLY TWO YEARS...1983 AND 1984. HERE ARE RAINFALL TOTALS FROM EASTERN KENTUCKY COOPERATIVE WEATHER STATIONS AND AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVING SYSTEMS AS OF 7 AM EDT...FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2009.
LOCATION / COUNTY / PRECIPITATION
BARBOURVILLE KNOX 4.38 INCHES BAXTER HARLAN 3.85 INCHES BEATTYVILLE 4N LEE 3.68 INCHES BIG SHELBY PIKE 3.01 INCHES BOONEVILLE 1SE OWSLEY 4.49 INCHES BUCKHORN LAKE PERRY 2.80 INCHES CARR CREEK LAKE KNOTT 2.73 INCHES CAVE RUN LAKE ROWAN 2.28 INCHES CLAY CITY 1WNW POWELL 2.77 INCHES CLOSPLINT 4ESE HARLAN 4.55 INCHES COLO PULASKI 3.98 INCHES CRESSY ESTILL 2.59 INCHES DRAFFIN PIKE 3.54 INCHES EZEL MORGAN 3.31 INCHES GIMLET ELLIOTT 2.60 INCHES HARLAN 1S HARLAN 3.80 INCHES HARLAN STATE POLICE HARLAN 2.95 INCHES HAZARD WATER PERRY 3.71 INCHES HAZARD PERRY 3.70 INCHES HAZARD STATE POLICE PERRY 2.95 INCHES HEIDELBERG 2N LEE 4.05 INCHES BAXTER HARLAN 3.85 INCHES INEZ 2E MARTIN 3.78 INCHES ISLAND CITY OWSLEY 5.16 INCHES IVEL FLOYD 2.27 INCHES NWS JACKSON BREATHITT 4.12 INCHES JEREMIAH 1S LETCHER 3.11 INCHES KINGDOM COME ST PARK HARLAN 3.12 INCHES LONDON CORBIN APT LAUREL 4.46 INCHES MONTICELLO 3NE WAYNE 4.00 INCHES MOUNT STERLING 5N MONTGOMERY 2.41 INCHES MOUNT VERNON ROCKCASTLE 2.77 INCHES ONEIDA CLAY 4.54 INCHES PAINTSVILLE 1E JOHNSON 3.55 INCHES PIKEVILLE ST POLICE PIKE 2.05 INCHES PRESTONSBURG 3NW FLOYD 4.09 INCHES QUICKSAND BREATHITT 3.52 INCHES RELIEF MORGAN 3.18 INCHES ROGERS WOLFE 2.82 INCHES SALYERSVILLE MAGOFFIN 4.28 INCHES SANDY HOOK ELLIOTT 2.67 INCHES SKYLINE LETCHER 3.20 INCHES SLADE 5NE POWELL 2.86 INCHES SOMERSET 2N PULASKI 3.74 INCHES STANTON 2W POWELL 2.88 INCHES STEARNS 2S MCCREARY 5.09 INCHES VICTORY 5NW LAUREL 4.13 INCHES WEST LIBERTY 3NW MORGAN 2.67 INCHES WEST LIBERTY 11NW MORGAN 2.57 INCHES WHITESBURG LETCHER 2.50 INCHES WHITESBURG 2SE LETCHER 3.21 INCHES WILLIAMSBURG 1NW WHITLEY 5.14 INCHES
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT JACKSON WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THE DEDICATED COOPERATIVE WEATHER OBSERVERS FOR THEIR TIMELY REPORTS."
