This was the 3rd-rainiest December on record in Philadelphia
But has 2023 overall really had all that much rain?
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New Year’s Eve is expected to end 2023 without rain, but December has been anything but dry.
After snowflakes graced the city at the end of November, many Philadelphians hoped for a white Christmas. Instead, the city got a flood watch in the first week of December, followed by a streak of rainy Sundays and holiday-week downpours, resulting in localized flooding along major roads like Columbus Boulevard and Kelly Drive.
Water-volume increases pushed Pennypack Creek, Wissahickon Creek, and the Schuylkill to a minor flood stage Thursday, following the latest round of heavy rains to move through the region this month.
In total, December has brought to Philly 7.92 inches of rain, making it “among the top 10 wettest Decembers we have had in historical records,” said Paul Fitzsimmons, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office.
The good news? There should not be any more rain for the rest of the year, said Fitzsimmons.
Has December been that rainy?
Yes. The December rain total for 2023 is the third-highest since 1900, according to weather service data, only under the 8.86 and 8.47 inches of rain recorded in 2009 and 1996, respectively.
Normal rainfall for December in Philadelphia is just under 4 inches, according to weather service data.
“There is a good chance that El Niño has been a big factor behind why it has been so wet,” Fitzsimmons said. The unusually warm sea-surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific can incite coastal storms that can bring heavy precipitation to the Philadelphia region.
However, he noted that “in weather, it is not typically any one thing that’s causing things to happen, but that is a big factor.”
Either way, December is the rainiest month of 2023.
Has 2023 been the rainiest year?
Not by a long shot. That title belongs to the 2011 total rainfall of 64.33 inches.
“Believe it or not we are actually running a little below average,” said Fitzsimmons. So far, 2023 has seen 42.19 inches of rain, just below the normal of 43.78 inches.
Rainy days were scarce in the earlier part of the fall and the first half of the year, with May hitting the milestone of the driest one on record and June seeing a statewide drought watch.
With no rain expected for the remainder of 2023, Philadelphians can watch the ball drop in dryness. But, don’t get used to it. Jan. 1 is expected to come with a slight chance of rain. Not enough to cause flooding, but folks may get a little damp.