February breaks 112-year precipitation record

By Arlene Martínez

The Morning Call

March 04, 2008

Feel as if your umbrella has become an everyday accessory? Turns out, in February it was a must-have.

Last month was the wettest February on record, smashing an inch count that's stood since 1896. You read right, that's a 112-year-old record.

A couple of significant rain days (Feb. 13, nearly 3 inches; Feb. 1, 11/4 inches) contributed to the 7.62 inches of precipitation that fell.

Twenty of the month's 29 days had at least traces of rain or snow, according to information recorded at Lehigh Valley International Airport. Precipitation includes rain, freezing rain and snow. On average, 10 inches of snow equals 1 inch of rain.

All in all, it's been a wet winter, the eighth wettest winter on record, said meteorologist Lee Robertson of the National Weather Service, which has records for the Allentown area going back to 1895.

A total of 13.92 inches fell in December, January and February, what the weather service calls the ''meteorological winter.''

''We're in a weak La Nina, right now.

When it's in a La Nina, that means the water in the eastern Pacific Ocean off the South American coast is running cooler than normal,'' Robertson said.

And in some regions, that means there's a bigger chance more rain will fall, he said.

What the season hasn't brought much of is snow. From November though February, the area posted 21.2 inches of snow, 4.46 inches below average.

It's tough to say what spring will bring. The weather service's Climate Prediction Center forecasts three months out. For March, April and May, there's an equal chance temperatures and precipitation will be below, above or average, Robertson said.

The heavy precipitation has been good for some local farmers, who endured a pretty dry summer.

''I think we really need it. The ground was very dry early in the winter. I really noticed it,'' said Tim Stark, who owns Eckerton Hill Farm in Lenhartsville . ''I'm always glad to see it wet rather than dry early on.''

The lack of snow, though, has hurt because it provides crops, like alfalfa, a good winter cover, he said.

On Monday, farmer George Devault ran some errands but stayed off the farm.

''It's too wet to be in the fields,'' said Devault, who owns Pheasant Hill Farm in Upper Milford Township.

''My worry is how quickly things will dry out,'' said Devault, who typically begins planting the first of his crops, sugar snap peas, around mid-March. ''If it's still muddy, we'll have to wait. April's usually a wet month, so if we don't get them planted in March, it's a problem.''

And if the soil's soggy, it slows down the plant growth. ''Farming in the mud is no fun,'' Devault said.

So far, March is shaping up to be precipitation-heavy. It snowed and rained Saturday and more is forecast for tonight into Wednesday.

''It could be pretty heavy. There could be some flood problems for that,'' Robertson said.

arlene.martinez@mcall.com 610-820-6530 WET FEBRUARY WASHES OUT RECORD NEW RECORD : 7.62''

2008 precipitation OLD RECORD: 6.42'' 1896 precipitation

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