JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Looking back at 2020, the rainy year was marred with record levels of humidity, which lead to above-average rainfall.
How much rain for the year?
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Jacksonville: 57.01 inches (+4.62 inches above normal).
Arlington: 58.80 inches (+7.14 inches above normal).
Gainesville: 50.46 inches (+3.05 inches above normal).
Jacksonville had its fourth highest annual total on record for the city, much of which came during the 94 thunderstorm days. Normally, Jacksonville has 77 stormy days out of the year.
Why so wet? The year coincided with the highest humidity on record for both Arlington and Gainesville, which boosted atmospheric moisture.
Craig Field in Arlington recorded the warmest year on record just ahead of its previous high of 71.8°F in 2015.
Warmer air can hold more moisture, leading to extra rainy days especially during the hot parts of the month.
More heavy rain days are due in part to increases in water vapor. The water-holding capacity of the atmosphere increases with temperature at a rate of about 7% for every 1.8°F -- a function known as the Clausius–Clapeyron relation.
So, as the climate warms, more water is available in the sky to fuel heavier rain events.