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Valley sloshed through heavy rain, snow in ’08
Last year was the ninth- wettest in the past 112 years in the Mahoning Valley.
YOUNGSTOWN — Last year’s weather was one for the record books.
It was the ninth-wettest year in the weather history of the Mahoning Valley, which dates back to 1896.
For the year, 45.72 inches of precipitation fell on the Valley, according to the National Weather Service.
“It was way above normal and higher than” 2007, said Brian Mitchell, a meteorologist with the service’s Cleveland office.
For those curious, 38.02 inches is average for the area and 39.76 inches were recorded in 2007.
The wettest months in 2008 were:
UJuly with 6.67 inches of precipitation, the 10th-most in recorded Valley weather history for that month. The area’s precipitation average for July is 4.1 inches. On July 26, 2008, 2.05 inches of rain fell, the most for any day last year.
UMarch with 6.38 inches, the most for a March in the area’s recorded weather history. The wettest day in March was the 19th when 1.17 inches of precipitation fell.
UFebruary with 5.83 inches, the most for a February for the area. On Feb. 6, 1.51 inches of precipitation was recorded.
The weather service measures precipitation using a rain gauge at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna.
Rainfall is a straight measurement; an inch of rain equals an inch of precipitation.
About 10 inches of snow, which is considerably less moist than rain, is typically equal to 1 inch of precipitation. About 4 to 5 inches of sleet equals 1 inch of precipitation.
The NWS recently added to its Valley weather records, having most of them go back to 1896. Before that, the service’s records for the area went back to 1943.
Over the past 112 years, four of the top 10 years for the most precipitation occurred this decade.
Besides 2008, the others are:
U48.47 inches in 2006 at No. 3.
U46.25 inches in 2003 at No. 7.
U45.22 inches in 2004 at No. 10.
Last year in the Valley was a bit warmer than average, 48.9 degrees compared to 48.5 degrees.
“The temperature was pretty close to normal,” Mitchell said.
The warmest year on record in the Valley is 1931 with an average temperature of 53.6 degrees.
It was below 10 degrees 17 times last year, including four days — Feb. 11 and 21, and Dec. 21 and 22 — where it was only 1 degree, the lowest temperature recorded in the Valley in 2008.
The highest temperature was 91 degrees. That happened three times, June 6, 8 and 9. Those were the only three times the temperature hit at least 90 degrees.