So how was 2008 in terms of weather?

I live out West and have very little experience with Eastern weather. I was surprised by two things on the AT last year--Spring blizzards and violent summer T-storms. I even got stopped by a flash flood in the Whites, a new experience for me. I did some sections in 2002 and didn't see anything like that, but I think '02 was a dry year.

So was 2008 a wet year? How would it compare to the last decade or so? I heard several times that the summer in New England was much wetter than normal, but was that enough to consider it a wet season overall? I also heard the South remained in drought conditions. So can you folks who live out there and spend lots of time on the AT let us know? I was an early finisher (mid-July) so I didn't spend as much time out there as some.

Thanks.