OSNW3 | OSHKOSH-NORTH

The words below were originally written for The Oshkosh Northwestern - Monthly Weather Report ---- The old saying goes “when it rains, it pours” and that was exactly the case for how May of 2012 transpired. Seven of the first thirteen days recorded measurable precipitation. These seven days accounted for more than 80% of the monthly rainfall total which included the deluge that occurred on May 2-3. The May 2-3 rainfall became the largest daily rainfall in the month of May and also became the 6th all-time largest daily rainfall in Oshkosh history. Two of the four precipitation observation stations in the greater Oshkosh area recorded over 7 inches for the month pushing the monthly total into second place all-time for the month of May. The top spot belongs to May of 2004 when 9.04 inches were recorded. Oshkosh daily observations date back to 1893. Greater Oshkosh May 2012 Precipitation Totals 5.84", Oshkosh 5.2 N 7.64", Oshkosh 1.3 NNE 7.99", Oshkosh WWTP (NWS)...

The morning of Sep-19, after 13 consecutive days, we finally recorded measurable precipitation. Most will think that 13 days without measurable precipitation is just the tip of the iceberg, but here in the western portion of the Great Lakes basin we seldom deal with such longevity. Since the genesis of OSNW3, back on Nov 1, 2006, we've recorded just 8 streaks of 13 or more days without measurable precipitation, just 7% of the time. For more information see graph and list below. (day of the streak end is listed) 4 streaks of 13 days Sep-18, 2011 Apr-2, 2010 Nov-18, 2009 Sep-29, 2008 2 streaks of 17 days Oct-20, 2010 Apr-18, 2009 1 streak of 19 days Feb-23, 2007 1 streak of 21 days Sep-20, 2009 These types of streaks do not always lead to drought situations, but with the recent lack of precipitation in the past two months some of Wisconsin is now in a slight drought situation. The recent rain may have helped as most around the state recorded up to a half an inch or...