The average rainfall for the month of April is about six inches but this year it doubled to 12.31 inches. That’s enough rain to break a 1952 record of just over 11 inches.
Richard Lam is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau. He says that data show May to be warmer than normal, but they still don’t know about the rain.
“They are calling for May to be more likely to be seeing above normal temperatures, so a warmer than normal May,” Lam says, “And precipitation they are calling for equal chances. That means there will be equal chance for above normal or below normal precipitation. So it can be anything.”
Petersburg’s rainy April follows an exceptionally warm winter season when there was more rain and less snow than normal.
