Washington is on the verge of drought again after June rains disappoint.
Tim Brown via Flickr) Just a few weeks ago, the drought was declared over in the Washington area.
On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor posted that the Washington area is “abnormally dry,” one category away from drought.
Essentially, it means if meaningful rain doesn’t come soon, the drought will be back.
For the year, Washington’s rainfall deficit has climbed to almost four inches.
Ray Martin, a forecaster at the National Weather Service forecast office in Sterling, Va., said that the last 12 months (through this June) rank sixth driest on record dating back to 1872.
Martin said that the wet May “helped alleviate” some of the dry conditions experienced over the region, replenishing soil moisture, as well as river and reservoir levels.
Looking ahead, the National Weather Service’s 6 to 10 day and 8 to 14 day outlooks slightly favor above normal rainfall in our region, but the region has reached a time of year when rain chances are dominated by fickle, hit-or-miss thunderstorm activity.
Reliable, soaking rains occur less frequently in July and August than they do in May and June, the two wettest months of the year.
A really dry June isn’t a good way to start summer.”