SPOKANE, Wash. — It rained! That feels weird to say after a stretch of dry weather that lasted for more than a month, but a few drops of rain around 7 a.m. and again at 11 a.m. in Spokane is more than enough for this to count.
On Thursday, Aug. 6, it rained two-hundredths of an inch, marking the first measurable rainfall recorded at Spokane International Airport since July 1. That's 36 days ago.
Pullman and Lewiston also got rain today, which is the first time it rained since July 9, 28 days ago.
Moses Lake, however, only got a trace of rainfall, meaning that rain was observed but wasn't enough to be measured at all. The last time Moses Lake had measurable rainfall was June 28, 39 days ago and still counting.
There will be another 20 to 30% chance for rain on Thursday afternoon as a cold front passes through the Inland Northwest. There's enough moisture in the atmosphere to squeeze out some light rainfall.
The prolonged dry weather has solidified central Washington into the drought conditions that the area has been reporting since the beginning of the year. Thankfully, it hasn't worsened into severe stages yet this summer.
August is on average the driest month in Spokane, averaging only 0.59" of rain in the month. Forecasts for this month favor it being drier than average, much as it was in the month of July.