The rains were much welcomed across the area…and the light show last night was a bonus! It seems that when we are very dry and dusty there is a greater amount of cloud to ground lightning activity, and usually more positive cloud to ground strokes than negative. I’m not sure how this process occurs, but I do enjoy the awe of the electrical discharges in our skies.Sunny skies should prevail tomorrow with high clouds moving in for Friday. Storms will return to the area Saturday, and the storms may be approaching severe limits.
From the National Weather Service:
138 PM CDT WED APR 26 2006
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..BENEFICIAL RAINS FELL ACROSS SOME PORTIONS OF THE AREA SINCE
TUESDAY...BUT STILL NOT ENOUGH...
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A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT TRIGGERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY
AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...BRINGING BENEFICIAL RAINFALL
TO SOME PARTS OF THE AREA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS RANGED FROM LESS THAN
A QUARTER OF AN INCH ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND LOUISIANA COASTAL
AREAS...TO ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF OVER THREE INCHES ACROSS CENTRAL
AND SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA.
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HOWEVER...THIS IS NOWHERE ENOUGH TO RELIEVE THE CURRENT DROUGHT
ACROSS THE AREA...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF I-10...WHERE EXTREME DROUGHT
CONDITIONS ARE NOW PRESENT. THE FOLLOWING TABLE SHOWS RAINFALL
TOTALS WITH THIS SYSTEM FOR THE MAJOR AIRPORTS ACROSS THE AREA...
ALONG WITH TOTALS AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL SINCE JANUARY 1ST.
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               2 DAY       TOTAL       NORMAL     DEPARTURE
STATIONÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â TOTALÂ Â Â Â Â SINCE 1/1Â Â Â Â SINCE 1/1Â Â FROM NORMAL
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ALEXANDRIAÂ Â Â Â Â Â 1.49Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 16.59Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 21.01Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -4.42
BEAUMONTÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0.27Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 5.89Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 16.04Â Â Â Â Â Â -10.15
LAKE CHARLESÂ Â Â Â 1.54Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6.75Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 15.39Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -8.64
LAFAYETTEÂ Â Â Â Â Â *3.46Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11.86Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 19.06Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -7.20
NEW IBERIAÂ Â Â Â Â Â 1.70Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6.19Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 16.15Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -9.96
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*TOTAL THROUGH 7 AM THIS MORNING...THE REST THROUGH NOON TODAY.