Rain record in Hoquiam; Quinault tops one-foot mark in 24 hours

It’s official — the Harbor set two records for precipitation Sunday through Monday.

By 2 p.m. on Monday, the official National Weather Service weather station at Bowerman Field had recorded 6.4 inches of rain in the previous 24 hours.

That beats out the previous record of 6.1 inches set on Jan. 23-24, 1984. Coming in at third, with no modest amount, was 6.05 inches on Nov. 23-24, 1990.

Call it a two-for-one deal.

“This was an all-time record for most rainfall in 24 hours or any two-day period — which is pretty much the same record,” National Weather Service in Seattle Meteorologist Josh Smith said.

As if setting two records in one wasn’t enough, the Weather Service tacked on another.

On Sunday, Hoquiam recorded 4.58 inches, more than doubling the previous record for Jan. 4 set in 1978 when the Weather Service recorded 1.83 inches.

More than half an inch of rain fell between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.

While the total is impressive, it’s a sprinkle compared to the amount of rain that fell in the Quinault area. An official weather station at Black Knob on the Quinault Reservation recorded 12 and a half inches during the same 24-hour period.

“That’s the winner,” Meteorologist Chris Burke said.

While definitely winning for most rainfall, it’s unknown if it’s a record. Black Knob is an automated weather site intended for fire weather forecasts. The Weather Service doesn’t maintain records for those sites.

Other nearby totals include Ocean Shores with nearly 5 inches, and Copalis Beach with nearly 6 inches.

Colder-than-average temperatures over the region were met with a warm front coming in from the Pacific with subtropical moisture.

The atmosphere became warmer and took on more water vapor which then fell in the form of precipitation.

For comparison, on Saturday, Hoquiam saw a high of 41 degrees, and as of Monday morning, temps were in the 50s. Additionally, the freezing level was at 3,300 feet as of 4 p.m. Saturday, but reached more than 10,000 feet as of 4 a.m. on Monday.

“That’s a dramatic warming of the atmosphere,” Burke said.