For the first time since September 14, the airport has recorded measurable rainfall. (Traces of rain were recorded September 15, September 30, October 5, and October 6.) As of this writing, a whole one-hundredth of an inch has been recorded at the airport today. (Hey, it’s something.)

The dry stretch in context

The stretch of non-measurable-rain days ended up at 22, starting on September 15 and coming to an end on October 6. This is the 24th time since records began in March 1937 that the airport recorded a dry streak of at least 22 days. Our longest stretch came in 2000, when it didn’t rain measurably from September 24th to November 3rd.

September and especially October are typically very dry months if we don’t get a tropical system in here, so this kind of dry stretch is not completely unheard of. Combined with the heat wave we just experienced, though, it was pretty brutal, and may likely have contributed to a flash drought developing in the Midlands.

Last week’s Drought Monitor kept most of the Tri-County out of drought, but that’s largely because of Hurricane Dorian’s rains early in September. As drier weather returns to the weather picture this week, it’s conceivable we might see this drought creep up a little more, especially in spots that miss out on some of the scattered showers in today and tomorrow’s forecast.

For now, though, enjoy the rain if you can get it, and be sure to turn those low beams on in case you’re driving in adverse weather.

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