4/19/2021 – Tropical Storm 3, later named Claudette, began drizzling on us on 4/18/2021 and just after midnight began raining heavily and by late morning it totaled 5.81″. The pond was about 6″ higher than the heavy fast rain earlier this spring and the Knippenberg’s new crossing is now in place.
The crossing did not seem to impede the run-off as the south side of the drive path is low and allowed the top 1-2″ of water to flow over it to add to what was going through the 18″ pipe. My first observation just after lunch did not show any significant washing of the drive path.
About 7:15 AM, the heavy rains had subsided and I installed a wood stake with marks at 1″ intervals. By 7:45 AM, the level had fallen 1.25″. By 9:15 AM, 2 hours later, the level had fallen 4.75″ and was no longer flowing across the new crossing. By 2:30 PM, the level was near the pond’s edge, not inside the rim, but looking like it was back nearing normal.
From here – Tropical Storm Claudette finally got a name early Saturday morning in the last few hours before landfall in southern Louisiana. The storm finally got a closed circulation and could be designated as a tropical cyclone. The storm caused heavy rain, tropical storm force winds, a storm surge of 2-5 feet, tornadoes, and south seas and rip currents.
