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2009 was relatively dry year for Mahoning Valley
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SNOW FUN: Children don’t drive in snow, but they do like to go sled riding, and a popular spot to do so is the sledding hill at Mill Creek MetroParks’ James L. Wick Recreation Area on Youngstown’s West Side. The new year has produced a lot of the white stuff, but forecasters predict near-normal temperatures and below-average precipitation totals for the first three months of 2010.
The wettest months last year were August and March.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN — It might not seem it now, but 2009 was a relatively dry year with the temperature slightly above normal.
Last year, 35.21 inches of precipitation fell in the Mahoning Valley, according to the National Weather Service.
In comparison, the average amount of precipitation for the area in a year is 38.02 inches.
The Valley precipitation amounts for 2008 and 2007 were 45.72 and 39.76 inches.
“We were on the low side for precipitation,” said Frank Kieltyka, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Cleveland office.
National Weather Service records for the Valley, which date back to 1896, show that four of the past seven years — 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008 — are among the top 10 years for most precipitation.
The wettest months last year were August with 4.11 inches and March with 4.01 inches.
The least amount of precipitation for a month last year was November with 0.92 of an inch. That was the sixth-lowest amount of precipitation to fall in the area for a November.
Also, the average temperature in November was 46.5 degrees, the third-highest for that month in the Valley.
The average temperature for 2009 was, in a word, average.
Last year’s average temperature was 48.96 degrees. The area’s average temperature is 48.5 degrees.
The year didn’t start out promising with January 2009’s average temperature at 18.8 degrees, the eighth-lowest temperature for a January.
The temperature was above average from February to May as well as August, September and November.
The first few days of 2010 have been unseasonably cold with an average temperature of 18.3 degrees, 7.7 degrees below normal.
Also, more than 8 inches of snow has already fallen as of Monday afternoon. The average snowfall for the first four days of the year is 2 inches.
But the weather service expects the first three months of this year to have precipitation levels below normal and for temperatures to be near normal, Kieltyka said.
The weather service tracks weather for the Valley at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna.
As far as measuring precipitation, rainfall is a straight measurement: an inch of rain equals an inch of precipitation.
About 10 inches of snow, less moist than rain, is typically equal to 1 inch of precipitation. About 4 to 5 inches of sleet equals 1 inch of precipitation.
skolnick@vindy.com
Below is the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and precipitation in inches for each month in 2009 compared to the average.
JANUARY
Precipitation for the month: 3.3.
Average precipitation: 2.34.
Temperature for the month: 18.8, 8th lowest.
Average temperature: 24.9.
FEBRUARY
Precipitation for the month: 2.
Average precipitation: 2.03.
Temperature for the month: 29.4.
Average temperature: 27.7.
MARCH
Precipitation for the month: 4.01.
Average precipitation: 3.05.
Temperature for the month: 38.6.
Average temperature: 36.7.
APRIL
Precipitation for the month: 3.13.
Average precipitation: 3.33.
Temperature for the month: 50.
Average temperature: 47.4.
MAY
Precipitation for the month: 2.28.
Average precipitation: 3.45.
Temperature for the month: 58.9.
Average temperature: 57.6.
JUNE
Precipitation for the month: 2.68.
Average precipitation: 3.91.
Temperature for the month: 65.4.
Average temperature: 65.9.
JULY
Precipitation for the month: 3.52.
Average precipitation: 4.1.
Temperature for the month: 67.4, 2nd lowest.
Average temperature: 69.9.
AUGUST
Precipitation for the month: 4.11.
Average precipitation: 3.43.
Temperature for the month: 70.2.
Average temperature: 68.4.
SEPTEMBER
Precipitation for the month: 2.15.
Average precipitation: 3.89.
Temperature for the month: 63.5.
Average temperature: 61.5.
OCTOBER
Precipitation for the month: 3.7.
Average precipitation: 2.46.
Temperature for the month: 49.4.
Average temperature: 50.8.
NOVEMBER
Precipitation for the month: 0.92, 6th lowest.
Average precipitation: 3.07.
Temperature for the month: 46.5, 3rd highest.
Average temperature: 40.7.
DECEMBER
Precipitation for the month: 3.41.
Average precipitation: 2.96.
Temperature for the month: 29.4.
Average temperature: 30.4.
Source: National Weather Service