July dry: last rain on 11th

July started with 0.4” of rain the first three days, but that was a tease. There was almost 0.2” more on the 9th, and that was it: 0.6” rain for the month. After a whisper of wet on the 11th, the skies turned blue. There has not been measurable precipitation in 25 days. Rainfall was 10% below the month’s average rainfall of 0.67” in this century.

Still, this was only the tenth driest July this century. Less than 0.60” rain has fallen nine years, with six years below 0.11”. Seven of the 10 driest years have been since 2010. Less than 0.1” of rain fell five of those years.

No rain fell in 2003 and 2013. In 2018 the 0.04” of moisture was the fourth driest July this century.

The most July rain, about 1.4”, fell in 2002 and 2011. Three of the four heaviest rain years, with 1.3 to 1.4 inches, are clustered between 2011 and 2014 – that is the last year of over an inch of rain.

There is no pattern to the six years it rained more than one inch over a 15-year period from 2000.

Hot? Highs went above 80 degrees five times, first on the 20th. The monthly high was 88 degrees on the 27th, followed by 87 degrees the 30. Four days were above 80 degrees the last week. Only four days did not reach a high of 74 degrees the last 18 days of July.

July’s daily minimum and average air temperatures, at 52.3 and 62.2 degrees, were just a bit cooler than normal, while the average maximum of 74 degrees was 0.8 above normal for the century.

Data measured at the WSU Fir Island. The Memorial Highway weather station was down part of July.