Cooler, but scant rain
The promised cold front is upon us, but all the excitement yesterday about an approaching line of thunderstorms - including severe storm watches across the state - appears to have come to very little in terms of severe weather and much-needed rainfall. What has fallen has been spotty at best. We had nothing on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville until about 8 a.m. today.
The instruments at BWI-Marshall have recorded just 0.17 inch of precipitation from this frontal passage. Our weather station here at Calvert & Centre streets checked in with 0.27 inch. There's still time to wring more moisture from this front. Here's the radar loop.
But here's the rundown as of about 10 a.m.:
BWI: 0.17 inch
The Sun: 0.27
Frederick: 0.07
Martinsburg: 0.02
DC Reagan: 0.04
Dulles Int'l: 0.62
MD Beaches: 0.10
We still need rain. Western Maryland remains in moderate drought, according to the latest Drought Monitor maps. Nearly the entire balance of the state is rated "abnormally dry."
At BWI, we have measured 2.19 inches of rain in June through Thursday. That's the driest June at BWI since 1999, when just 2.04 inches fell. (The average is 3.43 inches.)
We'll likely end the month nearly an inch below the 30-year averages for June. And that follows May's 3-inch deficit. The bottom line is that we are about 4 inches short of normal rainfall since mid-April.
The weather ahead? Looks very pleasant into next week, but not much rain in the cards.
