First Alert Weather in detail: Weather that is good for ducks and flowers

I learned long ago that Rochester residents can handle just about any kind of weather in the winter, but if you mess up their spring and summer, it becomes a problem.

That problem has been the lack of consistency in dry weather. Last week is a good example of that. The rain gauge at Rochester Airport shows that last Sunday, some heavy rain caused nearly an inch of rain. However, the rest of the week saw relatively little rainfall. Therefore, despite the rain, there was little to no flooding in the immediate Rochester area. Again, the frequency of the rain is the main problem.

Longer term, a different pattern emerges, and it’s best seen by looking at the data month by month. The best way to do that is to compare the percentage of possible precipitation to the amount we actually measured for that month. In other words, how does each month’s precipitation compare to what we typically measure at the Rochester airport? February saw only 30 percent of possible precipitation, and March only 78 percent of possible precipitation. A significant deficit for those two months. Then the pattern changed. Rochester made up for the dry conditions, with April hitting a whopping 145 percent of normal and May hitting 110 percent. We don’t know where June will end up, but the trend so far is toward a wet month.

Some would say it’s “good” weather for the flowers and the ducks. But some of us might wonder: will the frequency of rains decrease? The answer is: wait for the heat. When the heat comes, the frequency of rains will decrease. That could be next week.