Karla Leopold provided this photo of a lightning strike directly outside her front porch during last Thursday’s rain and lightning storm. Said Leopold, “I think the tree’s red stripe is portraying pain.” Photo courtesy Karla Leopold
Karla Leopold provided this photo of a lightning strike directly outside her front porch during last Thursday’s rain and lightning storm. Said Leopold, “I think the tree’s red stripe is portraying pain.” Photo courtesy Karla Leopold

A torrential rainstorm passed over the Hill Thursday, July 30.

The U.S. Forest Service’s Keenwild Ranger Station recorded 1.13 inches of rain between 1:30 and about 6 p.m. This is 50 percent more than the long-term average of 0.7 inches of rain during the entire month of July.

The Town Crier, a CoCoRaHS moisture collector, recorded 1.06 inches.

Just this month, Keenwild has received about 3.4 inches of rain, nearly five times the normal rainfall for July.

In Pine Cove, 1.23 inches were recorded between noon and 5:30 p.m. For the month, Pine Cove has recorded about 3.2 inches of rain.

Since the beginning of May, the Hill has received more than 6 inches of rain, which is almost four times the historic average of 1.6 inches for the three months from May through July.

Despite the afternoon storms, Ken Dahleen’s Idyllwild Summer Concert Series with Thursday’s Grupo Bohemio still performed for another satisfied audience.

After the first rainfall that day, when asked if the concert might be canceled, he replied, “We haven’t lost a concert to rain yet.” And he proved it true Thursday evening.