MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Rainfall totals in the Morgantown area for June and year-to-date each set top-five all-time records.
The month of June was the fourth highest since records have been kept, with 8.65 inches of rainfall. The next highest total goes back to 1972 when the area received 9.42 inches of rain.
“The fourth highest total for the Morgantown area on record, which goes back to about 1873,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Jason Frazier said.
The year-to-date totals are also placed in the top five all-time totals with nearly 31 inches of rain as of July 2.
“Year-to-date we’ve had 30.87 inches, and that would be the fourth wettest start of the year since records have been kept, which goes back to 1873,” Frazier said.
Frazier said the rainfall graphs show relatively normal rainfall amounts through the month of June. June was punctuated with the major rainfall event over Father’s Day weekend and several other almost daily rain events that continued to push the total to a record by the end of the month.
“In general, the year has been pretty close to normal,” Frazier said. “Starting about May 26 to July 1 is really when it took off from being a pretty average precipitation year to driving it above normal.”
Frazier said the rainy trend will ease a bit for the start of the month and then return after the Fourth of July holiday. The forecast shows high pressure as the dominant feature through the holiday weekend, and the daily possibility of rain will likely return next week.
“We’ll at least start off generally dry today and over the next few days,” Frazier said. “Over the next couple of days we can’t rule out an isolated shower in the afternoon, but generally it will be drier.”
Next week, hot and humid conditions return with a near-daily chance of showers or thunderstorms.
“Nothing points to extreme total amounts,” Frazier said. “Probably just spotty chances each day, but something that will keep rain in the forecast for much of the month.”