CELINA-Despite two prolonged periods of drought during the year, precipitation totals here wound up very near normal in 2024.

That’s according to statistics collected at a local Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network (CoCoRaHS) station maintained by Clay County weather enthusiast and HORIZON contributor Kevin Donaldson.

The 30-year average precipitation total, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), is 55.28 inches, which includes rain and melted snow.

The total precipitation for 2024 wound up at 53.77, only 1.51 inches below normal.  The monthly totals at the Celina station showed August (0.69) and October (0.15) had less than an inch combined. 

Those two exceptionally dry months, were offset by an unusually wet month of May, which had 11.87 inches of rain, more than double the 30-year average. 

The CoCoRaHS stats showed only four months during the year with above-average totals, with three of those coming in the first five months of the year.  September, traditionally one of the driest months of the year, was also above-average. 

Another CoCoRaHS station located in the Hermitage Springs area recorded 58.94 inches of precipitation in 2024, more than five inches above the Celina total. 

The following is a monthly breakdown, with the 30-year average in parentheses and the total for 2024 at the end of the list:

• January – 6.08 (4.35)

• February – 5.73 (4.78)

• March – 3.79 (5.23)

• April – 4.29 (5.03)

• May – 11.87 (5.10)

• June – 3.80 (5.01)

• July – 4.08 (5.36)

• August – 0.69 (4.00)

• September – 5.40 (3.71)

• October – 0.15 (3.63)

• November – 3.06 (3.60)

• December – 4.83 (5.48)

• TOTAL – 53.77 (55.28)

For more local weather information, follow CoCoRaHS weather observer Kevin Donaldson on Facebook and X (Twitter).