Last year Martha’s Vineyard experienced more thunderstorms than anyone can remember. They came not only in the heat of summer but the coolness of spring and fall. The year 2008 was close to perfect when it came to weather here. Winter was warm and summer was mild. There were no storms above the normal and the rainfall amount when it was finally tabulated was average.

Total precipitation for the year, as recorded at the National Weather Service Cooperative Station in Edgartown was 45.57 inches, slightly less than the average of 45.82.

The Vineyard received a total of 11.90 inches of snow, less than half of the annual average of 24.7 inches. Snow didn’t fall because temperatures were mild.

While the National Hurricane Center reports that the nation experienced an alarmingly busy year for hurricanes coming ashore in this country, the Vineyard never saw one up close. Tropical storm Hannah came nearby on the weekend of Sept. 6 and Sept. 7 and dropped less than an inch of rain.

A four-day rainstorm later in the month delivered five inches of rainfall. Though far offshore, Hurricane Kyle helped to add worry to the large frontal system that brought precipitation from the west. Two days into the rainfall, on Friday night, Sept. 27 a Cape Air plane crashed into the woods of West Tisbury killing its pilot, David D. Willey of Vineyard Haven. The large weather system caused some down-Island flooding in low-lying areas.

Coincidentally, on Sept. 27, reportedly Maine got its first hurricane watch as Hurricane Kyle sped towards the Canadian maritime provinces. September was the wettest month of the year with 6.89 inches.

Clearly, if there was a weather story to report for the year it was that the Vineyard summer was a good one. Rain came occasionally but it didn’t ruin too many days for the Island’s visitors. August, which is usually a favorite for visitors, was drier than average and also warmer. There were three thunderstorms in the month and the highest temperature was 85 degrees.

Monday, June 9 was the hottest day of the year with the temperature reaching 91 degrees. From year to year, it is a rare day when the temperature is so hot on the Vineyard, even more rare when it occurs before the first day of summer.

The second hottest day of the year came the day before with a high of 88 degrees. Thursday, July 17 was just as hot. There were 23 days in July when the thermometer touched 80 degrees or higher. There were 15 of those warm days in June and 12 in August.

The frequency of short rain events made 2008 a great year for mushrooms and other fungi. There were 10 days of measurable precipitation in August, 11 days in July, and 13 in June. Thunder was heard on three days in June, three days in July, four days in August and one day in October.

When it came to cold weather, last winter was mild, though don’t tell anyone who went outdoors on the morning of Jan. 4 when the temperature was eight degrees. The average temperature for the month was more than three degrees above the normal of 30.3 degrees. The highest temperature in January was a balmy 55 degrees.

Warm weather continued. February was more than five degrees above normal and it produced only an inch and a half of snow, well below the monthly average of 8.5 inches.

There was no snowfall in March, though there was slightly less than normal measurable precipitation. Winter was kind to the Vineyard and not so kind in other areas of New England. Northern New England saw record snowfall, as late as the first day of spring.

The year ended with snow around the holidays. A total of four inches fell a day before the first day of winter and additional snow fell on the last day of the year.