April Showers ... Close in on Record

April has been among the wettest in Kent in more than two decades, with nearly half a foot of rain so far this month, although it's not wet enough to match record rainfalls for this time of year.

Meteorologist Thomas Schmidlin, a geography professor at , has been recording precipitation levels from a weather station at his Brady Lake property for more than 25 years. From his observations, the average, total April rainfall is 3.93 inches. At last count, 5.9 inches of rain had fallen this month, he said.

"This is the fourth-rainiest April so far, but I think we'll probably exceed that before the end of the month," Schmidlin said.

Since 1987, the April record for total rainfall measured was in 1998, at 7.2 inches, with Aprils in 1994 and 1996 also wetter than this year, he said.

"It all depends, long run, on what May and June are like. The pattern doesn't seem to be changing yet," he said.

In regard to city services, the rain has had little effect. The has responded to weather-related incidents more as a result of high winds than rain this month, according to the department.

"It's slowed us down a little bit, on some of our pothole repairs, but otherwise, not too much," said Jack Hogue, central maintenance manager for the city.

Carl Battaglia, owner of Battaglia's T & B Garden Center Wholesale, located at 4980 S. R. 43, said some area residents have had to delay seasonal preparations for mulching, gardening and other spring home-care activities as a result of the rain.

"People can't get into their yards to cut the grass, let alone planting," Battaglia said.

A break in the weather and a few breezy, sunny days would quickly dry the ground enough to get things going for this year's gardening and yard-care season, he said.

"It's just the idea of Mother Nature cooperating a little bit," Battaglia said.