Cove sees significant rainfall over the weekend
Tue, 2015-10-27 05:00
News Staff
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Copperas Cove and the surrounding communities saw heavy rainfall over the weekend, especially on Saturday, causing a number of area events to be canceled or postponed.
On Saturday, a total 7.75 inches of rainfall at Robert Gray Army Airfield was recorded by the National Weather Service. The rains tapered off on Sunday dropping 3.17 inches. The rainfall puts the region up nearly a foot for the year and the recent rains set a two-day record for rainfall in October. The total rainfall for OctoBer is just under eight and a half inches at 8.47 for the month.
Copperas Cove emergency personnel responded to three weather related accidents.
Flash flood warnings were in effect for the Cowhouse Creek near Pidcoke, along with the Lampasas River near Kempner.
North of Copperas Cove, the Bee House Creek rose, pouring over its banks and flooding County Road 142 in Pidcoke.
What has meant flooding for areas has meant plenty of added water for Texas lakes and reservoirs as the storm and flood waters begin to run off.
Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Lake are both 100 percent full at this time. Coryell County had been under a burn ban, but county officials lifted the ban through yesterday.
In early September, at least 50 percent of the state was at least in an abnormally dry status, with some areas in moderate to severe drought. However, John Nielsen-Gammon, professor of atmospheric sciences with Texas A&M, noted at that time the El Niño could be one of the strongest ever recorded. These are warmer water conditions than usual in the Central Pacific that tend to affect much of the U.S. weather patterns. The strongest ever occurred in 1982-83 and 1997-98, and the current one is expected to rival those two.