Rain breaks 13-year record

After years of drought, 2009 has ushered in what could be a record-breaking year for rainfall, according to National Weather Service statistics. For the Atlanta area, which includes Pike, the NWS notes 60.33 inches of rain so far this year, breaking 13-year records going back to 1996 and clocking in at 132% above normal for the year. Metro Atlanta saw major flooding in September.The Atlanta area averages 50.2 inches a year with its second highest amount coming in the Katrina and Rita year of 2005 with 56.43 inches. For central Georgia, rain falls about 120 days a year, averaging 45 to 50 inches. Average annual snowfall total is less than an inch. Over many years, the driest months are September and October and the wettest is March.According to local data compiled for The Pike County Journal-Reporter by the Georgia Forestry Commission, there were 5.35 inches of rain in October 2008 compared to 5.65 in October 2009.By mid-December, the NWS compiled 4.64 inches of rain, with nearly half coming on a single day. This is 141% above normal for the month and 244% above normal for the quarter. In December 2008 it measured 4.39 inches, above the average of 3.82. The GFC noted there was 3.85 inches in December 2008 as compared to 4.81 so far this December.