.jpg)
While 2021 ended with some of the driest months of the past few years, 2022 more than made up for it with a number of wet months and overall higher precipitation throughout Rockbridge County. The increase in rainfall led to some good harvests for farmers in the area and set most in a good position for the winter months.
“Overall, 2022 was a good year,” said Tom Stanley, Virginia Tech Extension agent for Rockbridge County. “There are always some weather hiccups, but for the vast majority of crops, it was a good year.”
Total rainfall, as reported in Lexington and Glasgow by the National Climatic Data Center, was up by nearly 8 inches, with 52.78 inches reported in Glasgow (up from 44.02 in 2021) and 46.07 inches recorded in Lexington, an increase from 38.63 the year before.
Most months saw higher rainfall totals, with November and December seeing the biggest increases in precipitation. While both Lexington and Glasgow recorded just over an inch of rain in November of 2021, nearly 6 inches was recorded in Lexington and just over 8 inches fell in Glasgow. This past December was also wetter than its predecessor, with 3.47 inches recorded in Lexington and 4.74 inches recorded in Glasgow, well above the .64 and .59 inches recorded the year before.
May and July were also wetter this year than in 2021, with Lexington recording more than 4.5 inches in both months and Glasgow reporting 5.2 for each. June was the driest month of 2022 for both localities, marking the only time Glasgow had less than 3 inches of rain (2.36 recorded) while Lexington’s lowest rainfall was 2.60 inches, also in June.
While the increase in precipitation was beneficial overall to area farmers, it wasn’t without troubles as well, particularly in the later half of the year.
“Whether it’s a dry year or a wet year, every situation has its pluses and minuses,” said Beau Leech of Ingleside Dairy Farm. In addition to raising dairy cattle, Leech also grows corn for grain and silage, soybeans and alfalfa. “The good part about it is that crops did well, pastures were good and people were going into winter with a lot of grass out there,” he said. “The disadvantage is that it made it tough to get things done. Some hay got rained on and we had some harvesting delays. The winter has been more challenging than the spring and summer was, from a timing standpoint, but overall, I’d take another year like this, that’s for sure.”
The year also saw an increase in snowfall, most of it in the month of January. Lexington reported 15.4 inches of snow – well above the 6 inches reported in 2021 – and the largest monthly snowfall recorded in Lexington in the past 10 years. Glasgow reported 12 inches, well above the 5.8 inches reported the year before, but just shy of its snowiest month of the past decade, which was January of 2016 with 12.5 inches.
High temperatures recorded in Lexington were largely consistent with 2021, with January and February of 2022 recording higher temperatures than the previous year. The January high was 68 degrees, well above the 2021 high of 61, while February 2022 saw a high of 72, up from 68 the year before. November saw a 5 degree increase in the high temperature from the year before, with a recorded high of 80 degrees in 2022. That number was also the highest November temperature recorded in the past five years in Lexington. September and October, on the other hand, were cooler than previous years, with Lexington reporting respective highs of 87 and 78, the lowest of the past five years.
The lowest temperature recorded in Lexington was 1 degree, in December. The lowest temperature of 2021 was 12 degrees, recorded in February.
