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Columbus sees record daily rainfall on September 27, amid ongoing drought

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After weeks of hot, dry weather that plunged Columbus into drought, rainfall reached a record high Friday as remnants of Hurricane Helene hit central Ohio.

Columbus saw 1.44 inches of rain Friday, breaking a previous record set Sept. 27 of 1.29 inches of rain in 1886, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington. The highest rainfall in a single day for the area in all of September occurred on September 12, 1940, when the weather service recorded 1.25 inches (3.59 centimeters) of rain.

Despite much-needed rain, the state fire marshal’s office on Friday extended an open ban on fire burning to more counties. As of 10 a.m. Saturday, more than 1,000 AEP customers in the Columbus area were without power.

“The rain we have had is certainly nice and in some ways a relief, but it in no way comes close to replacing the amount of moisture we need in the soil in the affected areas with a burning ban,” says State Fire. Marshal Kevin Reardon said this in a prepared press release on Friday. “It’s just not enough.”

National Weather Service forecasters expect the rest of the weekend to be cool and rainy:

  • Saturday: Showers, mainly after 3:00 PM High around 73. Southeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between ⅒ and ¼ inch possible.
  • Saturday evening: Showers. Low around 64. East wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between ⅒ and ¼ inch possible.
  • Sunday: Showers, including thunderstorms after 5 p.m. High near 74. East wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between ¼ and ½ inches possible.
  • Sunday evening: A chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 11 p.m., then showers likely between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., then likely showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 65. East wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between ⅒ and ¼ inch, except higher amounts are possible with thunderstorms.
  • Monday: A chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 8 a.m., then likely showers between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., then likely showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts less than ⅒ inch, except higher amounts are possible in thunderstorms.

This story has been updated to add a video.

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