The year 2013 was wetter than average as several months ended in a few inches of rain above normal.
December was one of eight months of the year that saw above average rain totals.
The total amount of rain received in 2013 was 92.11 inches. The normal for a year in the Tryon area is 61.77 inches of rain.
The most rain received in 2013 occurred in July, with a total of 20.05 inches. For the month of July, normal rainfall calculated between the years of 1981 and 2010 is 5.27 inches for the month.
The second highest month of rain occurred in May with 11.3 inches compared to the normal of 4.57 inches in May.
June received 9.25 inches of rain compared to the normal of 5.38 inches, January saw 9.17 inches of rain compared to a 5.1 inch normal; April saw 7.69 inches compared to a 6.18-inch normal; December had 7.84 inches of rain fall compared to the normal of 5.24 inches, August had 6.72 inches compared to 6.18 inches normal and November had 5.9 inches of rain compared to a 4.8 inch normal.
Weather observations for the area are taken from the Tryon Water Department weather station and recorded with the National Weather Service (NWS).
As much rain as 2013 has received, no day surpassed any records on file. According to the NWS, the most rain ever received in one day occurred on Oct. 25, 1918, with 9.05 inches of rain in one day. The second highest occurred on Sept. 8, 2004 with 8.47 inches of rain.
There were 13 days in the year 2013 that had more than two inches of rain fall in one day.  More than two inches of rain fell one day in January, one day in March, one day in April, three days in May, one day in June, four days in July, one day in November and one day in December, according to NWS.
Although temperatures fell drastically into the teens last Friday, Jan. 3 and today, Monday, Jan. 6, temperatures remained average throughout 2013 with no records broken for either high or low temperatures.
The highest temperature in 2013 occurred in June at 92 degrees. The winter months so far have seen above average high temperatures with September’s high temperature being 89; October’s being 85; November’s being 72 and December seeing 70 degrees, according to NWS data.
Records for the area include a high temperature of 105 degrees occurring on June 22, 1964, on July 28, 1930 and on Sept. 7, 1925, according to the NWS.
Temperature lows during 2013 never reached below 22 degrees before year-end. The lowest temperature in 2013 occurred in December at 22 degrees. January 2013 saw 23 degrees in 2013.
The lowest temperature on record in the area occurred on Jan. 21, 1985 at negative eight degrees with the area seeing negative three degrees on Jan. 1, 1918. Other record lows for the area were zero degrees on Jan. 13, 1962; Jan. 2, 1928 and Jan. 13, 1918, according to the NWS. The area has also saw one degree on Jan. 30, 1966 and two degrees on Jan. 11, 1982, Jan. 6, 1924, Jan. 30, 1917 and Feb. 3, 1917, according to the NWS.
The year 2013 saw another full year of little to no snow in the area.
Snowfall extremes, according to the NWS, occurred on Dec. 4, 1971 with 15 inches of snow recorded and 13 inches of snow recorded on Jan. 8, 1988, Feb. 16, 1969 and Dec. 17, 1930.
Temperature and snowfall records/extremes were recorded between 1917 and currently.
Normal snowfall recorded from the years 1981 through 2010 conclude that the area normally receives 2.5 inches of snow in the month of January, 1.4 inches of snow in the month of February, 0.9 inches of snow in the month of March and 0.5 inches of snow in the month of December, with all other months at zero inches of snow, according to the NWS.
Polk County also saw itself out of drought conditions most of 2013 because of the above average rainfall. There were a few weeks in November and January 2013 when Polk County was listed as abnormally dry, according to the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council drought map.
2013 rain totals
by month
Actual precipitation

January 9.17 •
February 4.48
March 4.85
April 7.69 •
May 11.30 •
June 9.25 •
July 20.05 •
August 6.72 •
Sepember 2.96
October 1.90
November 5.90 •
December 7.84 •
Annual  92.11

• denotes above
normal for the month
Record for Years: 1917-2014  

1. 9.05  10/25/1918
2. 8.47  9/8/2004
3. 7.50  8/15/1928
4. 7.15 8/27/1995, 8/13/1940
5. 6.85  8/18/1986
6. 6.55  7/2/2003
7. 6.38  9/1/1979
8. 6.25  6/18/1982
9. 6.09  8/18/1985

Monthly normals
From 1981-2010
January  5.10
February  4.86
March 5.76
April 4.58
May 4.57
June  5.38
July 5.27
August 6.18
September 5.38
October   4.65
November 4.80
December  5.24
Total: 61.77