BOY, DID IT POUR! Storm drains on La Grande streets had all the water they could handle  and then some  during Friday's torrential downpour. A motorist plows through backed-up water at N and Washington avenues amid heavy rain. (The Observer/PHIL BULLOCK).

One of the driest Mays on record turned wet all of a sudden over the noon hour Friday.

Pea-sized hail and .68 of an inch of rain fell over about half an hour.

Before Friday’s deluge,

La Grande had measured just .05 of an inch for the month, far below the normal of 1.14.

Today’s record is 2.30 inches was set in 1991, the rainiest May day in La Grande recorded weather history.

A black locust tree just south of The Observer on N Avenue was struck by lightning, tearing off a 30-foot strip of bark, and a lightning strike reportedly caused a power outage at the Boise plant. Some localized street flooding was also reported, including the railroad underpass near the intersection of Island and Adams avenues.

According to National Weather Service records, Meacham got .89 of an inch of precipitation, Cove got .85 and La Grande got .68.