It’s been a dry June in Pittsburgh, to say the least.
There were only nine days in Southwest Pennsylvania with more than 0.01 inches of rain. This was the least amount of rainy days in the month of June since 2012, which also had nine rainy days.
With no rain on the forecast for today, June 2022 is set to have a total of 3 inches of rain, which would be the second lowest June total in 10 years.
Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Moon, said June’s low rainfall has felt even drier because the Pittsburgh region saw the majority of those 3 inches of precipitation fall in just three days.
“We are about an inch below normal, but it appears worse than that because most of our rain only came during three days,” said Hendricks.
The month of June in Pittsburgh typically receives 4.12 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. Additionally, there are usually 13 days in June that see some measurable amount of rain.
The combination of less than average rain, and during fewer days, have left the region parched.
There are some thunderstorm possibilities for next week and the start of July, but Hendricks cautioned people from anticipating a lot of rain this summer, noting there is a lot of uncertainty.
He said meteorologists are expecting the temperatures to be above average for the summer months this year. But as for the expectations that a dry June will lead to a wetter summer, Hendricks said “there is not a real stern signal in any direction, and we expect normal precipitation.”
Over the last 10 years, Junes with below average precipitation have not always been followed by wetter Julys.
Rain hasn't frequently appeared this month (only 9 days w/ >= 0.01" of rain in Pittsburgh, least since '12), leaving some grass areas parched!
There is some uncertainty, but there could be more rain chances to start July, highlighted by this 7-day rainfall accumulation forecast. pic.twitter.com/AXLqgSoTJE
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) June 30, 2022
Hendricks said people might want to prepare for a dry summer, just in case.
“If we continue the way we are going through the month of July, it’s probably best to cut your grass a little higher, to resist it burning up, and if you do water, do so towards sunset or early morning,” he said.
