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This was the third wettest June in the Mahoning Valley’s weather history
YOUNGSTOWN
If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Apparently a lot of June rain.
Following Tuesday’s storms, the Mahoning Valley had 9.02 inches of rain for the month of June.
Last month was the third-rainiest June in the Valley’s recorded weather history, which dates to 1897. No. 1 was 10.66 inches in 1986 followed by 10.09 inches in 1989.
“It’s unusual for June to get more than double the normal the amount of rain,” said Zach Sefcovic, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland. “This has been excessive.”
The area averages 3.79 inches of rain in June.
“There’s been too much rain in June,” said Eric Wilhelm, chief meteorologist for 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner. “The rain’s been very persistent, that’s for sure.”
The NWS records weather statistics at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna.
As much as 12 inches of rain were recorded in Poland, Warren, Niles, Newton Falls and Leavittsburg, said Wilhelm based on unofficial numbers.
Last month was soggy almost from the beginning. There was a trace of rain June 1, followed by three straight dry days.
Since then, only three days in June – the 6th, the 19th and the 24th – didn’t record any rain, according to NWS statistics.
The most rain fell on Saturday with 1.97 inches, and on the 14th with 1.86 inches.
The first half of July looks like it’s going to remain cool with a chance of showers and thunderstorms, but it shouldn’t be every day, Sefcovic said.
“We’re probably going to have a break in a few days from the rain and hopefully things will dry up,” he said.
“The long weekend should be dry and then have rain on and off for a week or so.”
There’s a chance of showers before 1 p.m. today, and isolated showers Thursday, according to the NWS forecast.
But it should be dry Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sefcovic said.
Mill Creek MetroParks staff determined Tuesday that weekend storms caused the death of a large number of fish in Lake Newport.
Tests showed that irregular levels of dissolved oxygen, caused by materials quickly being flushed through the lake because of the storms, killed the fish, said Steve Avery, metroparks planning and natural resources director.