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Trevor Haynes, 10, from Caroline County, relaxes on an inner tube as cousin Robert Woods, 15, looks on, at a pool in Partlow. |
By RUSTY DENNEN
A month's worth of rain fell in the Fredericksburg area between Saturday and yesterday morning, but it was not enough to make up for a deficit for the year to date.
The intermittent, torrential rains flooded area roads and swelled the Rappahannock River. Though precipitation amounts varied around the region, 3.3 inches was recorded over the period at the Fredericksburg wastewater treatment plant, which reports to the National Weather Service. Normal rainfall for the entire month of June is 3.37 inches.
Far more rain fell to points north. Reagan Washington National Airport reported over 12 inches; parts of Maryland got more than 11 inches. A stationary front, combined with tropical moisture coming up the East Coast produced the year's biggest rainmaker.
The water was enough to fill area reservoirs to the brim, but was not sufficient to quench a late winter and spring drought that was tightening its grip on the region before the storms began over the weekend.
Normal rainfall for the Fredericksburg area, from January through June, is 20.05 inches. As of yesterday, with two days left in the month, the total was 16.39 inches, or a deficit of 3.66 inches.
Still, the water was welcome on several fronts. The Virginia State Climatology Office determined that from June 1 through June 15, the Shenandoah Valley, Northern Virginia and Piedmont had lower than normal rainfall. The Charlottesville-based office said moderate drought was present through most of the Piedmont.
July is typically the wettest month of the year here, with rainfall of 4.18 inches, on average. February is driest, with 2.98 inches. In a normal year, Fredericksburg gets just under 42 inches of rain.
The recent rain came at an opportune time for farmers. Prior to the storm, hay cutting was about 70 percent of normal in the region, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Local agricultural Extension agents said corn, beans and vegetables badly needed the rain. The storms will have some lasting effects by increasing overall soil moisture, they said.
Stafford County's reservoirs, one of which had been more than 20 inches low before the storm, are full.
Last Thursday, the county officials advised residents to voluntarily conserve water. In a stark turnabout, on Tuesday, they advised them to prepare for potential flooding.
July and August tend to be the state's hottest months, and that usually takes a toll on river levels.
By early July, the Rappahannock above Fredericksburg usually runs slow and clear and even canoe and kayak paddling can be limited because the water is so low.
But that situation may be delayed for a few weeks because of all the water that's been funneled into the river.
The National Weather Service predicted that the Rappahannock would crest at 9.2 feet around 8 last night at City Dock.
"That should basically be a nonevent for the city," Mark Bledsoe, deputy emergency coordinator with the Fredericksburg Fire Department, said yesterday.
Flood stage is 18 feet.
To reach RUSTY DENNEN:
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com
