Forecasters say the rain Helena received early this week won't fall on the Johnny Rawls Blues Revue, which kicks off the 10th season of Alive@Five tonight at Pioneer Park, adjacent to the Lewis and Clark Library.

The National Weather Service reported nearly 1½ inches of rain here from midnight Sunday through Tuesday afternoon. Monday saw 1.32 inches of rain, with an additional one-tenth of an inch falling by Tuesday afternoon.

The precipitation was "exactly what we needed," county Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Paul Spengler said.

"The ground has been so dry it has soaked it up like a sponge. It has dampened down the wildfire danger, at least for a while," he said.

Spengler received no reports of flooding.

Jefferson County Sheriff Craig Doolittle said Boulder got an inch of snow and about three inches of snow fell on Boulder Hill. No vehicle accidents were reported, he said.

Helena has above-normal precipitation numbers for the month, calendar year and water year.

No rain is predicted for today, though skies will be overcast. The forecast high is 61, with winds out of the west at about 15 mph. The low tonight is 39. Rain could return Thursday, with a 30 percent chance of precipitation and thunderstorms possible after noon. The forecast high is 59.

The early forecast for Memorial Day is mostly cloudy weather with a high of 70.

A weather service spokesman said the agency is forecasting below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation next week. The forecast through July shows equal chances of above- or below-normal temperatures and precipitation, he said.

Helena has received 2.16 inches of precipitation this month, 1.01 inches above normal. The city is a quarter-inch above normal for the calendar year, with 3.84 inches of precipitation. Helena is nine-tenths of an inch above normal for the water year, which begins Oct. 1, with a total of 6.09 inches.

IR Staff Writer Marga Lincoln contributed to this report.