Those scattered showers this past week were much heavier than forecasters anticipated; even I didn’t think they would be that heavy. However I mentioned earlier in the week about those pesky upper-level lows and the potential for frog-stranglers Thursday and Friday.
Weather observer Matt Sloan in the Heights neighborhood said his rain was well more than a frog-strangler: “More than 2.5 inches of rain in about 40 minutes, the gutters couldn’t handle it.” I have no idea what to call such an intense rain shower but it is unusual for our neck of the woods.
You may have heard of massive flooding in southwest Portland and to our east. During that first burst of rain Thursday I measured a scant 0.02 of an inch in Salmon Creek. Friday was my turn, with ¾ of an inch in one heavy downpour. My total Friday was 1.15 inches. Impressive!
I heard a few baseball games were rained out. The good side (there always is) is, the additional moisture will help reduce fire danger from the Fourth of July’s fireworks.
