Unseasonably stormy skies this summer are hindering both student activities and some College maintenance efforts, as rainfall in New Hampshire approaches its highest total in five years.
So far, the summer of 1996 is the wettest summer in New Hampshire since 1991, the year that Hurricane Bob rocked New England, National Weather Service hydrometeorologist Butch Roberts said.
Although exact rainfall statistics for the Upper Valley are not recorded, he said, the nearest National Weather Service station, in Concord, has reported 5.13 inches of rain during the month of July, 1.9 inches more than the average.
Concord has already received 28.24 inches of precipitation in 1996, only eight inches less than the yearly average, Roberts said.
Roberts attributed the wet weather to a jet stream flowing more southerly than usual, creating a trough of low pressure which pushes storms from the Great Lakes and Northern Plains to New England.
Weather Services Corporation operational meteorologist Mike Wagner explained, "Storms follow the upper-level and keep dropping on us. This same pattern is actually what helped steer [Hurricane] Bertha out from inland North Carolina and back to sea."
Both Wagner and Roberts said the low-pressure trough system shows no signs of letting up anytime soon and they expected rainfall in New Hampshire to surpass the yearly average.
"We haven't even counted August yet, which tends to be the wettest month of summer," Wagner said. "New Hampshire is definitely wetter on average."
But for Facilities Operation and Management associate director John Gratiot, the cloudy skies have had a silver lining.
"We have not had to do any watering of grounds or playing fields ... We're more productive when people are doing trimming of hedges and lawns instead," he said.
Gratiot said some of the problems campus buildings face after summer storms include water infiltration in basements, wet and moldy carpets, peeled paint, dislodged floor tiles, and leaky roofs.
Rain also hinders ongoing projects, he said. "Too much rain makes it difficult to do roof work," he said. "When you're out working on a copper roof, you don't like to do it in the rain ... because it's slippery."
Gratiot also cited the difficulties heavy rain poses for the ongoing repair of the College's steam pipes. "You have to be welding in a wet ditch, putting fiberglass joints on a wet pipe ... it's difficult."
Yet he said that the extra duties are simply part of the job. "These are things we deal with on a normal circumstance when we have a lot of rain ... One storm can cause these problems. There's just a lot more storms this year."
Gratiot also said the costs of repairing rain-related damage on campus pale in comparison to the costs of winter snow removal. "There's less financial impact on us in the summer months. We can spend $200,000 to $400,000 on snow removal. We don't come close to that in a wet summer," he said.
Students expressed discontent with the frequent showers that have dampened the Upper Valley this summer.
David Belden '97, president of the Dartmouth Cycling Club, said the wet weather is hindering the club's mountain biking activities.
At a race the club recently competed in at Killington, Vt., "the first part of the race was a 20-minute hike through the mud," Belden said.
The club has been forced to stay away from muddy trails near campus because of environmental considerations, he said.
"After it rains, you have to wait a few days" before riding, he said. "On some of the trails, [mountain biking] will ruin the trail. It does cut down on what we can ride."
Marc Lewinstein '98 works as a lifeguard at the Dartmouth swimming facility on the Connecticut River. He said heavy rains have been making the Connecticut a more dangerous place to swim.
"Due to the unusual amount of rain we've been having this summer, they've had to open the [Wilder] dam, which has caused a rapid rise in the current," he said.
"On several occasions, we've had to caution people against swimming," he said.
Since the swimming facilities close during periods of steady rain, lifeguards can either go home early, without compensation for the lost hours, or do office work for the Dartmouth Outing Club.
Lewinstein, who said he chose not to perform the office work because "it's not even lifeguard-related," estimates that he has lost approximately $130 in wages because of summer rain.
