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Mariton: Soggy November

December 4, 2018

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager

This year, Allentown recorded the wettest November on record with data going back to 1912. My data only goes back to 1997, but this November was the wettest for Mariton also.   I recorded 10.90 inches of precipitation (including melted snow).  That is a lot of water for one month, especially when Mariton’s average for November is 3.56 inches.  The wettest November that I have recorded was 5.76” in 2004.  (The driest November was 2012 with 0.92”.)

Remember the average is 3.56 inches.

November has really pushed 2018 above average. We received 65.71 inches of precipitation through November.  The average for the same time period is 48.75 inches.  At the end of November, we are close to 13 inches above average for the entire year, and we will receive more rain in December.

2018 Monthly Precipitation

Understandably, the water table is really high. I have seen it this high before, but not for such an extended period of time.  Water is flowing out of springs and down Sunnyside Road like a small brook.  Being on a hillside, Mariton’s trails are usually dry even after hard rains, but this fall it feels like walking on a sponge in many places.  Last year ended with a precipitation deficit, so it is good to see above average precipitation to help recharge aquifers.  Unfortunately, the region has increased the number of roofs, parking lots, roads and other hard surfaces, so more water runs off and less rainfall recharges the aquifers.