It’s no secret this month has been very dry. As of 5p.m., Sept. 21, the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport only reported 1.04 inches of rain for the month. This is 1.75 inches below the normal amount to date. With the exception of an isolated shower at the airport on Sept. 18 and two days of a trace of rainfall, the only days with measurable precipitation this month were Sept. 6 and 7.
This month 20 years ago was completely different. In 2004, remnants of two tropical systems brought parts of the valley some of the largest rainfall totals in Youngstown’s history.
Hurricane Frances’ Impact on the Valley
Hurricane Frances developed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 21, 2004, becoming a tropical storm officially on Aug. 25, 2004. Frances continued westward towards the Bahamas and United States, making landfall in southern Florida overnight on Sept. 4 and 5, 2004, as a Category 2 hurricane.
Eventually, the storm moved northward and its remnants pushed a lot of tropical moisture into the greater Youngstown area. The Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport recorded 4.09 inches of rain on Sept. 8, 2004, and another 0.36 inches on Sept. 9, 2004.
The rain from Hurricane Frances came on the heels of severe weather 10 days earlier. Severe weather from Aug. 28 and 29 had saturated the Valley, and rivers and streams were already running high. Columbiana County estimated nearly seven inches of rain from the remnants of Frances.
Total rainfall from Hurricane Frances across the United States. Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania saw 3-6 inches from the remnants of the storm on Sept. 8 and 9, 2004. (Image: NOAA Hydrometeorological Prediction Center)
Hurricane Ivan arrives a week later
As if the severe weather of late August and the heavy rains from Frances weren’t enough, another hurricane, the remnants of Hurricane Ivan dumped even more rain on the region. Hurricane Ivan was a strong hurricane in 2004 that reached Category 5 status on three separate occasions.
The storm made landfall early in the morning of Sept. 16, 2004 near Gulf Shores, Alabama. Over the next several days, remnants of the hurricane made their way northward into eastern Ohio and added between two and three inches of rain to Columbiana and Mahoning counties. The airport recorded 2.21″ from the remnants of Ivan.
Total rainfall from Hurricane Ivan across the United States. Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania saw 2-3 inches from the remnants of the storm on Sept. 16 and 17, 2004. (Image: NOAA Hydrometeorological Prediction Center)
Federal Disaster Area declared in the region
Because of the large amounts of rain in a short period, flooding issues were common across the region. According to a report from the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey, Columbiana County was the worst hit in the Valley that year, as 99 structures were damaged and 19 were destroyed, with damage costs totaling $6,649,000.
In Mahoning County, 310 structures were damaged and the Mahoning River at Youngstown recorded levels of 14.25 feet. Both counties were among 21 counties declared as federal disaster areas.
Federal Emergency Management Association’s disaster declaration in September 2004. (Image: USGS Report)
Ranking September 2004’s rainfall totals to history
Was all this rainfall enough to make September 2004 the wettest September in Youngstown history? Surprisingly, the answer is no. September 2018 ranks as the wettest with 7.91 inches falling that year. This was in part due to the tropics, as Tropical Storm Gordon dumped over three inches of rainfall in the region that month.
The table below shows the top six wettest years at the airport.
Top 6 wettest Septembers on record for the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
(Data: NWS Cleveland)
The impacts from these tropical systems show the Valley can be directly impacted by tropical storms and hurricanes as their remnants are brought inland. You can always check out the Storm Team 27 7-Day Forecast to see when rain could be in the forecast.