WOODVILLE — During this past week, Wilkinson County has received approximately 5 more inches of rain than it did during Hurricane Gustav in 2008.

The USDA gauge on the Buffalo River received 12.75 inches since this last Friday, said National Weather Service Slidell Meteorologist Andrew Ansorge. He said from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, 2008, the Centreville gauge recorded 7.61 inches.

Ansorge said the average rainfall for Wilkinson County during the month of August is 4.75 inches. Further, he said probability shows less than a one-percent chance for the county to receive more than 9 inches of rainfall over a 48-hour period in August as it did over the weekend.

“This is very rare,” Ansorge said. “It is not something you are going to see very often.”

Ansorge said estimates suggest up to 15 inches of rain fell over this past weekend in some parts of Wilkinson County.

Meanwhile, 6.27 inches of rainfall has been recorded at the Natchez gauge since this past Friday, said National Weather Service Jackson Meteorologist Anna Wolverton. The figure tops what Natchez received from Hurricane Katrina, which was 0.9 inches, but not Gustav.

Wolverton estimates the Gustav system dumped approximately 10 inches of rainfall during a two-week period from late August to early September in 2008.

The average for the month of August at the Natchez gauge is 4.49 inches, Wolverton said.

The rainfall began with a system similar to a tropical storm originating in the Gulf of Mexico, Wolverton said, “Bringing a ton a rainfall to the southern parts of Louisiana and Mississippi.

“The rest of this week has just been the typical afternoon showers and thunderstorms we get in this region.”

And the Miss-Lou is not out of the water, as Wolverton said the afternoon showers and thunderstorms would be persistent over the next week.

Following the historic rainfall, Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency for Wilkinson, Adams, Amite, Pike and other counties affected by flooding Aug. 13. The state of emergency allows local governments to request state assistance for response and recovery associated with the storms.