After a dry summer, it's looking like a wet fall
Graph courtesy of Randy Mann
It’s been another very dry summer season in our region. The June through August period was drier than normal in North Idaho and other parts of the Inland Northwest. For the three months beginning June 1 and ending Aug. 31, a total of 2.53 inches of rainfall was recorded in Coeur d’Alene. The normal for this period is 4.07 inches.
In 2023, the June 1 through Aug. 31 period was also drier than normal with 2.92 inches of rainfall. The majority of the moisture from June through August of 2024 arrived in the first three weeks of June, as 1.71 inches fell. Since June 20, the first day of “astronomical summer” only 0.82 inches of rain was measured in Coeur d’Alene. If we don’t receive any additional moisture between now and Sept. 22, this would be the driest astronomical summer season since 2006 when we had 0.83 inches of moisture. According to Cliff’s records, this would be the third driest period in history.
While most of us observe the fall season later this month, the “meteorological summer” season ended Aug. 31. Sept. 22 is the beginning of the “astronomical” fall in the Northern Hemisphere, which is based on the position of the Earth relative to the sun. In just over three weeks, the sun will be at 90 degrees, or directly overhead, at the equator. The next time the sun’s rays will be over the equator will be the first day of spring in 2025, which is called the vernal or spring equinox.
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