Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
SUMMER SAW MORE RAIN THAN USUAL
Philadelphia region has already reached its average rainfall amount for the year
WEST GOSHEN » No, you have not been imagining things. This summer has been wet, wet, wet.
According to records kept by the Delaware Environmental Observing System (DEOS) station for West Goshen, there have been 59 days of rainfall since June. Tomorrow’s forecast includes more rain in the afternoon, according to a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mt. Holly, N.J., thus bringing the total number of days of precipitation for the three-plus months of traditional summer to 60.
In 2017, by contrast, there were just 39 days of rainfall at the West Goshen observation station, located at the Chester County Government Services Center (GSC).
If our math is correct, that means it has rained more than 50 percent of the 116 days since June 1, 2018. Two months of rain? That’s wet.
The amount of rainfall recorded in June, July, August and so far this month at the GSC is 31.16 inches, according to the DEOS. West Chester averages about 47 inches of total rainfall a year, meaning that the county has seen around 65 percent of its total annual rainfall in those four months.
Trent Davis, the Mt. Holly meteorologist, reported Tuesday that as of Sept. 24, the
Philadelphia region had achieved its average rainfall amount for the year. The Philadelphia International Airport had recorded a total of 41.63 inches of rainfall as of Monday. That compares with the annual average rainfall from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of 41.53 inches. Did we say it’s wet? To the northwest in Reading, David said the numbers are even greater. Where that city normally sees 43.27 inches of rain a year, this year to date the A sign warns of high water on Beaver Dam Road at Birdell Road in Honey Brook Township Tuesday afternoon. weather service had recorded 51.38 inches.
Davis explained that a series of high pressure systems that parked themselves to the east of the southeastern Pennsylvania region were largely responsible for the number of rainy days and the amount of precipitation this year. The high pressure keeps cold fronts from moving through the region in a steady fashion, stalling them over southeast and central Pennsylvania, and dumping more rain on your head. Or lawn.
“They tended to sit for most of the summer,” he said. “It’s just been a persistent pattern.”
He said that most recently, the presence of Hurricane Florence had contributed to the wet weather. First, even before it made landfall this month, the giant hurricane acted as a barrier to those cold fronts moving through, meaning that rainclouds hung around longer than normal. Then, after Florence hit North Carolina with devastating rain, the precipitation made its way northward to our region.
And what have all those cloudy, rainy days meant for our collective psyche? According to Sharon Daley Kelly, a psychologist in West Chester, it depends on how you look at it.
For many, the gloom of rain and clouds opens the door to succumbing to personal dreariness and depression. “People tell me that all the time. They feel depressed and lack motivation” when it rains day after day after day.
Others, however, “honor the natural rhythms” of the weather. “They can just shut down a bit and stay inside and stay cozy. It’s really a reflection of what people attach to the weather.”
Which is to say, there is a silver lining in every black cloud.