Wythe sees spell of wet weather

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

When it rains, it pours.
After suffering through two months of severe drought conditions, Wythe County skies opened up late last week, dumping 5.23 inches on the county in a three-day period.
According to numbers from King’s Weather Station, a station operated as a hobby by Chris King on his property five miles southwest of Wytheville on West Lee Highway, precipitation on Thursday alone surpassed the entire combined rainfall in the area from August and September.
Thursday’s 2.66 inches of rain was more than the monthly rainfall for six of the year’s first nine months. Nearly matching Thursday’s downpour was Wednesday’s deluge of 1.96 inches, a figure greater than five months in 2007.
The two-day combined precipitation total topped 26 of the past 27 months, dating back to 2005.
A flood watch even was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday for Wythe County and multiple other counties in Southwest Virginia.
Overall, Wythe County received measurable rainfall for five straight days between Oct. 22 and Friday, recording 5.32 inches.
Five consecutive days of rain had not occurred in three months, since July 22-26. During that quintuplet of days in July, 2.89 inches fell.
No precipitation was recorded at King’s Weather Station during the weekend, leaving the monthly total for October at 5.63 inches through Sunday.
Already, though, October will be the wettest month so far in either 2006 or 2007 – by more than half an inch. October 2006 also saw that year’s highest precipitation recordings.
Although the numbers are looking up, there still is a shortage of rain for the year.
To this point in 2007, King’s Weather Station has recorded 28.49 inches of rain, down 2.76 inches from the same date in 2006.
Normal yearly rainfall is considered to be about 37.5 inches, so the area still will need a wet final two months of the year to avoid falling short of the average for the second consecutive year.
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 228-6611 or .