Flint & Detroit Smash Different Types of Wet Spring Records

Flint received 17.00 inches of precipitation for the 2011 spring season. This makes 2011 the wettest spring in Flint's history. The old record was 13.80 inches set back in 1945. Flint's climate records date back to 1921. Flint recorded 3.92 inches of precipitation in March (6th wettest March), 5.47 inches in April (5th wettest April), and 7.61 inches in May (2nd wettest May to this point).

Detroit Metro Airport received 14.60 inches of preciptiation during the 2011 spring season, making it the 2nd wettest on record. The wettest spring on record for Detroit occurred in 1947 when 16.31 inches fell. Detroit's records date back to 1874.

It has been a very wet spring for all of Southeast Michigan. The spring season spans from March 1 to May 31. The three main climate sites across Southeast Michigan are already reaching the top ten wettest springs on record. A brief overview of rainfall for spring 2011 is below, a complete list can be found here.

Location	2011 Rainfall (through May 26)	Current Spring Rank	Wettest Spring Since...
Detroit	14.60	2nd	1947
Flint	17.00	1st	Record
Saginaw	11.88	10th	2004

To put the wet weather into another perspective, Detroit had 52 days of measurable precipitation this spring. The average for spring is 37 days of measurable precipitation for Detroit. This places 2011 in first place for the most days of precipitation during the spring. Flint had 45 days of measurable precipitation in the spring of 2011 (average is 34 days) which is tied for 6th most most number of spring days. Saginaw had 44 days of measurable precipitation in the spring of 2011 (average is 33 days) which is the 4th most number of days. The other years are listed below.

Detroit - Number of Spring Days with Measurable Precipitation
Year	Days with Measurable Precipitation
2011	52
1953	50
1947	48
1984	46

Flint - Number of Spring Days with Measurable Precipitation
Year	Days with Measurable Precipitation
1956	49
1979, 1945	47
2002, 1947	46
2011, 1960	45
1973	44

Saginaw - Number of Spring Days with Measurable Precipitation
Year	Days with Measurable Precipitation
1947, 1940	48
1956	46
2011	44
1937	43
2004, 1916	42