"One-half of a Bible's worth of rain" is how a recent advisory from the State Climatology Office described the twenty days of rain most of Virginia received during the month of May.
While it may be hasty to start building an ark, rain fell in Charlottesville on a record-setting ninety days during the first six months of 2003. Additionally, just over a week into July, the total precipitation for Charlottesville is already at 110 percent of the average for the entire month, according to Jerry Stenger, Research Coordinator at the State Climatology Office.
"For those of us particularly fond of sunshine, it was a challenging time," Stenger said.
The above average rain this year is due largely to an abnormal upper-air configuration. During a typical year, moist air is directed toward the region in the winter. In the spring, weather patterns change, and the air masses over Virginia are relatively drier.
That was not the case this year. "This [winter] pattern tended to become somewhat 'locked' in place and persisted throughout the spring and on into mid-June, which is indeed unusual," Stenger said.
The abnormally high precipitation during July was caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill, and not related to the upper-air configuration which caused the earlier rains.
The reservoirs serving Charlottesville were recharged fully by last November, according to Daryl Cooper of the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority.
Charlottesville residents, however, still should conserve water, as another drought may start unexpectedly, he said.
"We're trying to save all we can," Cooper said, adding that people should reduce water use through measures such as collecting rainwater for their gardens and watering lawns during the morning or evening hours to limit evaporation.
Spring rain is not an indicator of whether a drought will strike the region. The first six months of 1998 are the wettest on record and the recent drought began during the same year.
"The only thing we know about [droughts] is that they will occur again," Stenger said.
Additionally, although the region has emerged from the long-term, or hydrological, drought, the possibility of a short-term drought occurring this summer still exists.
Stenger said that the rest of the summer should be typically hot and humid. He added, though, that meteorologists cannot accurately make long-term forecasts.
"The root cause for changes in upper-air mass configurations is a mystery," Stenger said.
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