DC Closes Out Dry July

For more posts on Washington, DC temperature and precipitation, see:
Washington DC Weather Records

August 1 Update: This morning's July climate report from the National Weather Service confirms the monthly total of 1.07". If no precipitation falls through Sunday, the entire excess from June will have been wiped out, and the yearly excess will drop to near 1". The monthly percentage of normal precipitation map for the region shows widespread areas of 50% or less from northern Virginia through much of Maryland.

Original post:
With less than an hour remaining in the month, an unofficial 0.13" at Washington National from thunderstorms this afternoon pushes this July into 5th place among driest Julys. This eliminates 1993, with 1.36", from the top ten, and makes 2009 the driest in 10 years, exceeded only by 1.01" in 1999.

Images (click to enlarge): July 2009 percentage of normal precipitation from National Weather Service; CapitalClimate chart from National Weather Service data, photo © Kevin Ambrose