Something wet and slippery dripped out of the sky over Maryland late last night and early today. Oldtimers called it rain, the first measureable amounts that have fallen at BWI since Aug. 25, a dry spell of 17 days.

Could this really have been responsible for the terrible traffic backups this morning? Was it really slippery out there because there's been so little rain to wash away the accumulated oils on the road surfaces? Or are we becoming more and more like Los Angelenos, who panic at the sight of rain much as Baltimoreans panic at a whisper of snow? Perhaps...

Anyway, the rain began here at Calvert & Centre streets at about 11:30 last night, according to our rain gauge data. We got a quick 0.2 of an inch, followed by off-and-on drizzle ever since. In all, we've measured just over a quarter-inch (0.27) beside the Sun's executive parking area - the Bigshot Lot.

Out at BWI they've had 0.15 of an inch.

Here's is the rainfall accumulation loop for the event. Here's how the numbers look. Here's a mapped view.

We're still more than an inch short of rain for September. This comes after a very dry summer, with rainfall shortages every month. We haven't had a month with surplus moisture since April, and we're more than 6 inches short for the year. And with a La Nina coming this fall, we're likely to see a continued scarcity of rain for the forseeable future. A brush with a passing tropical storm would be welcome.