County precipitation inches above normal for year

RBC I Precipitation measured in Rio Blanco County so far this year is quite a bit above normal through Oct. 20 and already stands many inches above the total received during all of 2012.
According to figures provided by Samantha Lopez at Meeker Airport, which is the only National Weather Service reporting station in Rio Blanco County, and the National Weather Service, the total precipitation recorded from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2012, was a dismal 9.6 inches.
Normal precipitation at Meeker Airport through Oct. 20 is 12.85 inches.
So far in 2013, from Jan. 1 through Oct. 20, the airport has received a total of 15.30 inches – about 2.45 inches above a normal year for the date.
The average precipitation for the full year is 16.06 inches, and Meeker is just .76 of an inch below the average for a full year, with 72 days remaining from Oct. 20 until the total precipitation for the year is known.
The year started very slowly with January, February and March recording the fourth, second and third-lowest amounts of rain or snow, with .35 inches,.50 inches and .69 inches, respectively.
June was the month with the lowest amount of precipitation with just .07 of an inch recorded at the airport.
A series of snow storms made April the No. 2 month for precipitation so far in 2013, tallying 2.88 inches of precipitation. From April 13-17, Meeker counted 1.30 inches of the month’s total.
May was also a good month for precipitation with 1.95 inches, placing May into the fifth-wettest month so far this year.
July was the fourth-wettest month of the year to date with 2.07 inches recorded, with .97 of an inch on July 17, making it the wettest single day of the year.
August was a little drier, making it the six-wettest month with a total of 1.58 inches of rain, with .60 of a inch on Aug. 23 making that day the wettest of the month.
September has been the wettest month this year recording a total of 2.94 inches at Meeker Airport.
September produced three days when more than a half-inch of rain was recorded. The highest single day of precipitation in September was Sept. 9, when .76 of an inch fell, followed by Sept. 27 with .56 and Sept. 22 with .52.
As of Oct. 20, October produced the third-highest month of precipitation with 2.27 inches. Early October produced two days with more than a half inch of precipitation.
Thursday, Oct. 3 saw the highest precipitation amount of the month with .76 inch of the wettest, heaviest snow to be seen in quite some time, causing trees to drop large limbs, which subsequently caused road blockages, power outages and some property damage. Rangely and Meeker were hit hardest, and there are still toppled trees and limbs on the ground all over the two towns.
On Oct. 14, Meeker also saw .60 inch of precipitation while Oct. 10 saw .45 inch fall, making those three top days responsible for 1.81 inches of the total of 2.27 that had fallen through Oct. 20, the last for which records were examined.
Lopez said the only NWS weather station in Rio Blanco County now is at Meeker Airport but that there are plans to try and get a NWS-accepted weather station at the Rangely Airport within the next year.