For 50 years he’s watched Eunice highs and lows
By Jamie Anfenson-Comeau
When Royne Fontenot first became a weather watcher back in May of 1958, he never imagined he’d still be doing it 50 years later.
“When I first started doing this, I never thought I’d keep up with it,” Fontenot said. “I thought I’d do it for a few months or so. I never imagined I’d be doing this for 50 years.”
Every morning, Fontenot checks the high and low temperature for the previous day and the temperature at the time of observation, as well as any rainfall that may have occurred, using equipment provided by the National Weather Service.
Fontenot then calls in the results to the weather service office in Lake Charles.
Fontenot keeps copies for himself as well, monthly and yearly rainfall totals going back 50 years, as well as daily temperature record books going back to the 1970’s.
Although overall rainfall in Eunice hasn’t changed significantly over the past 50 years, fluctuations have become more pronounced in the past 10 years, with record lows in 1999 (38.4 inches) and 2000 (37.81 inches), followed shortly afterwards by a record high in 2004 (84.74 inches).
Likewise, 50-year records for monthly highs and lows have both been set in the past 10 years.
Despite the recent records, there appears to be no pattern. “It varies so much. If there’s a pattern in there, I can’t figure it out,” Fontenot said.
Fontenot was working at Ardoin’s Funeral Home, from which he retired in 1985 after 33 years, when members of the weather service came to the office, asking if anyone was interested in recording and reporting the weather.
Initially Fontenot only reported rainfall, but began reporting temperature as well when the weather service began collecting that data approximately 30 years ago.
It’s no trouble at all, Fontenot said, and provides the weather bureau with a history of weather patterns in Eunice.
“Once I got started, I just didn’t want to stop. The weather bureau was depending on that information, so I figured I’d give it to them. it’s no inconvenience,” Fontenot said.
“If we’re going to have a record of the weather here, somebody’s got to do it.”