The unusual rainy weather the last few days is an indication of seasonal change and repairs needed in Buzzard Hall.

Dalias Price, local weather observer and former Eastern professor, said

Charleston has experienced some weather that is out of the ordinary.

Up until this past weekend, the month of August had produced only one and one-half inches of rain in the area, Price said. Usually three and one-half inches are expected for August. However, the area received 11 inches in 1958.

The rainfall over the holiday weekend also drew attention to repairs needed in room 2436 of Buzzard Hall.

Charleston experienced a total of five and one-fifth inches of rain this weekend, with Monday receiving a little over one and one-fifth inches, he said.

Water leaked along the east wall of the room in Buzzard damaging two keyboards and one mouse, said Doug Lawhead, computer specialist in the computer department.

A university worker was called Monday, checked for leaks and said it was safe to put the equipment back in.

“Everyone was really cooperative on it,” Lawhead said.

The two keyboards and one mouse damaged were replaced by Information Technology Services, Lawhead said. Faculty were all notified in case classes in the room Tuesday needed to be moved to another classroom, but no classrooms needed to be switched.

There was a leak at the same exact location last spring, two to three weeks before the end of the semester without leaving any damage, Lawhead said.

The room ceiling tile falling created the damage, Lawhead said. Water filled the computers and they were on, but luckily the computers worked once the water dried.

The water was sitting in the bottom base of the monitor and computer, and the computers “were on when it happened which is even more remarkable … it’s amazing they lived,” Lawhead said.

Price said it was fortunate that part of the rain carried on all weekend so it could soak into the ground.

“We really did need that precipitation,” Price said. It has been a moderate raining period with the faintest period of lightening, he said.

“We were lucky not to have had thunderstorms with high winds,” Price said.

In Clark and Champaign counties, winds picked up to 50 mph and the counties experienced more rain than Coles County.

Danville had 3 to 4 more inches than our area, Price said. Mattoon had five inches for the weekend.

Temperature is another factor to consider regarding the season changing, Price said.

We have had a number of days with temperatures in the 90s this summer, but no days even touched 100, which is normal for Charleston.

The end of summer in our area is the first week of September, Price said. Some may believe summer ends Sept. 21 because of the Equinox, but our seasons are determined by temperature.

“When it hits 70 above in our area it is summer temperature. When temperatures drop below, consistently, it’s a different season,” Price said.

Temperatures have begun to drop, for example, it was 67 Tuesday, Price said.

Jennifer Chiariello can be reached at [email protected]