YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – We are off to a very wet start in 2023. It is most likely no surprise that our rainfall accumulation has been above the normal range through the first week of the month.
How much rain has fallen so far this year?
The first week of the month has produced a total of 1.34 inches of rainfall at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport. That means through the first four days of the month, our region is running close to 0.89 inches above normal. Our normal rainfall is 0.45 inches to this point.
Rain and snow showers return to the forecast by to end of the week, and this will only add to the wet start we have going for 2023.
Rainfall on top of a rapid melt of water that was locked up in the soil has produced soggy conditions in yards and fields across the region.
Drought monitor update
Parts of Ohio have been dry this winter. The western and northern part of the state has been abnormally dry, or in drought, as winter started and continued into 2023. The heavy rain has helped some areas.
Eastern and southeastern Ohio have been wet throughout most of the winter, keeping the drought conditions to the west.
One weather record we won’t break in 2023
The wet start to the year has already put the month out of the top 10 when it comes to the driest Januarys on record at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport.
The 10th driest January was in 1919. We only picked up 1.07 inches of precipitation that year during January. We are already past that number and will climb through the month.
This will not go down as one of the top 10 driest Januarys on record.
| Top 10 driest Januarys | Precip total | Year |
| 1 | 0.73″ | 1985 |
| 2 | 0.75″ | 1981 |
| 3 | 0.82″ | 1961 |
| 4 | 0.87″ | 1986 |
| 5 | 0.99″ | 1946 |
| 6 | 1.01″ | 1942 |
| 7 | 1.03″ | 1997 |
| 8 | 1.05″ | 1940 |
| 9 | 1.05″ | 1988 |
| 10 | 1.07″ | 1919 |
Could we break the top 10 wettest Januarys on record?
We have just started the month, but we are on pace to becoming a wet January if this pattern keeps up. We would need quite a bit of precipitation to crack the top 10 wettest Januarys.
| Top 10 wettest Januarys | Precip total | Year |
| 1 | 7.77″ | 1937 |
| 2 | 7.64″ | 1950 |
| 3 | 6.82″ | 1952 |
| 4 | 6.17″ | 1947 |
| 5 | 5.86″ | 2005 |
| 6 | 5.42″ | 1949 |
| 7 | 5.35″ | 2017 |
| 8 | 5.34″ | 1959 |
| 9 | 5.20″ | 2007 |
| 10 | 4.96″ | 1913 |
A normal January will accumulate a total of 3.03 inches of precipitation. That is rain/snow liquid combined. We have already produced a third of that in the first four days of the month.
