Missoula Sets One Day Rainfall Record on Saturday [YouTube]

Missoula has been extremely dry for weeks, causing numerous warnings and restrictions, but the area received some welcome rain on Saturday and early Sunday, in fact, a record amount.

Meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Missoula, Bob Nestor, said Missoula broke a record that has been standing for a hundred years or more.

"On Saturday 0.81 of an inch of precipitation and that broke a daily rainfall record that was set back in 1893, and that's as far back as records go in Missoula," Nestor said. "The rain they had that day in 1893 was only 0.67 so we beat it pretty good.In fact, for the month of July that was one of our wettest days on record for the month of July."

Nestor said a good portion of Western Montana also benefited from Saturday's rain.

"We had well over an inch, close to two inches in Superior," he said. "We had a good band of steady rain for much of the morning through med-afternoon from Lolo to the Mission Valley, which got the most moisture at 1.32 inches in Plains, and Missoula got 0.97 inches from Friday night through Saturday."

Seeley Lake received 1.21 inches of rain, with 1.69 inches on top of Lookout Pass.

Even with the day of heavy rain, Missoula remains under Stage One fire restrictions, and the area remains under extreme fire danger.