Weather outlook predicts week of showers for dry Abilene
Laura GutschkeMonday night's thunderstorm was more sound than rain for Abilene, but additional precipitation is forecasted each day this week.
The city, being well below the average rainfall by this time of year, needs all the rain it can get.
Abilene officially received 0.04 inches of rain from the storm that popped up south of the city before 10 p.m. and moved east.
Following are Monday's rainfall totals in inches registered at the Abilene fire stations:
► No. 1, 250 Grape St.: 0.13
► No. 2, 901 E.S. 27th St.: 0.06
► No. 3, 1625 VIne St.: 0.10
► No. 4, 3750 Grape St: 0.23
► No. 5, 1250 E.N. 16th St.: 0.20
► No. 6, 1482 S. Danville: 0.10
► No. 7, 431 N. Pioneer.: 0.21
► No. 8, 5680 Buffalo Gap Road: 0.10
Dry 2021 so far
Monday's scant rainfall was the first of the month for the city.
For the year, Abilene's official precipitation total is 2.89 inches, which is 1.78 inches below the average of 4.67 inches by now.
Rainfall totals for March were 1.27 inches, short of the monthly average of 1.74 inches.
February may have seemed moist with record snowfall of 10.8 inches, but rainfall was only 0.38 inches, well off the February average of 1.36 inches.
More:Snow much for 15 inches: Reporting error reduces Feb. 14 amount, but still a record
The year started with 1.20 inches in January, slightly ahead of the monthly average of 1.02 inches.
Looking ahead
High school track and tennis competitions and other outdoor events this week may be affected by scattered thunderstorms forecasted daily, according to the National Weather Service.
The storms also will bring moderate temperatures, with highs in the low 60s during the day this week, except for Friday, when the predicted high is 70. Nighttime lows will dip to the 40s and 50s.
Here are the details on what to expect the next five days, according to the NWS forecast:
► Wednesday: A 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms during the day, especially after 1 p.m., followed by a 50% chance at night. Rainfall totals not expected to top half an inch. Skies will be cloudy with a daytime high temperature of 60 degrees and an overnight low of about 50 degrees.
► Thursday: Light rainfall chances are 60% during the day and dropping to 40% at night. Totals not expected to top a quarter of an inch. Daytime temperatures will reach about 61 degrees and dip to 54 degrees at night.
► Friday: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms during the day slips to 30% at night. Rainfall totals not expected to be more than a tenth of an inch, except in areas where thunderstorms develop. Temperatures will range from a high near 70 degrees to a nighttime low of 45 degrees. Winds may be breezy.
► Saturday: A 40% percent chance of showers and thunderstorms during the day. High temperature is expected to be near 58 degrees, with breezy winds up to 15 to 20 mph. At night, wind gusts could reach 25 mph, and the low will be about 41 degrees.
► Sunday: Mostly sunny with a 20% chance of showers and temperatures ranging from 62 degrees during the day to about 42 degrees at night.
Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.
