Although most of Vermont remains abnormally dry or in drought conditions, the southern part of the state has had an uncommonly wet summer and early fall.
According to the monthly summaries from the National Weather Service, between June and August, Wilmington received the most rainfall in southern Vermont: 24.5 inches. Stamford and Woodford were close behind with almost 24 inches.
Several more towns in Bennington and Windham counties recorded more than 20 inches of rain during that three-month period: Brattleboro, East Dover, Manchester, Peru, Putney, Shaftsbury and Westminster.
Most of the rain fell in July, which state officials said resulted in some of the worst flooding the counties have experienced since 2005. Damage to state and local roads was estimated at $5 million, and the federal government has extended disaster assistance for recovery work.
Precipitation data in most Vermont towns, including those in Windham County, is collected by volunteers, so comparative information from year to year isn’t easily available, National Weather Service meteorologists said.
But in the town of Bennington, which has an official data collection site, that three-month period brought over 16 inches of rain — 3.5 inches above normal. It was the town’s fifth-wettest summer since 1999, when recordkeeping began, said meteorologist Ingrid Amberger.
September then brought 6.88 inches, almost double the town’s average for the month. Including the rainfall in September and so far this month, the total precipitation for the 4-1/2 month period sets a new high in Bennington, Amberger said.
The precipitation trend in Windham County, which is adjacent to Bennington County, should be comparable for this period, said meteorologist Dan Thompson.
In comparison, portions of Franklin, Orleans and Lamoille counties remain in a state of drought, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System monitor. All other counties — except for Bennington and Windham — are either entirely or partially experiencing abnormally dry conditions.
Newport, in Orleans County, for instance, got only 9.5 inches of rain from June to August, 4 inches below average, according to the National Weather Service.
Though variations in precipitation levels are to be expected around the state, meteorologist Seth Kutikoff said, this year’s pattern “may be somewhat abnormal.”
The rains in the south came in a summer with a lot of thunderstorms and showers in the region, Amberger said. They were also due to “remnants” of Tropical Storm Fred, Tropical Depression Henri and Hurricane Ida that hit the U.S. this summer, she said.
The rest of the year is expected to bring some relief to dry areas. Between October and December, according to data from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, Vermont as a whole should get more precipitation than normal.
October on its own is forecast to be drier than average, Kutikoff said. That could then mean more than the usual amount of snow, freezing rain and sleet in November and December.
