Can't we enjoy a warm, sunny 4th of July without fretting about drought? For those of us who grew up here in the Northwest, we know all too well that historically, summer usually hasn't even started yet.
All the brown lawns (like the one left) by the end of June are a clear clue as to how unusual this weather is. Do you remember any other year when lawns browned out so early? I've been noticing dormant parking strips in Seattle and brown lawns here on Whidbey Island.
So I went to meteorologist Cliff Mass's blog for reassurance, but found none. Check out his post from yesterday for the full story, but here's the gist of the bad news. The last 40 days, from May 20 through the end of June, were the driest here for 116 years!! Get this - we only had 0.18 inches of rain during those traditionally wet months. No wonder our gardens are looking a bit tired already. So keep watering, and ask your neighbors to put those illegal fireworks away, fire danger is too high.
Just think - maybe it'll rain most of August like last year and we'll look back on June as the big hurrah of summer '09. But for the next ten days, anyway, no significant rain is predicted. If you're feeling vaguely guilty about all this good weather (why do we do that??) remember we paid in advance with last winter's deep freeze and a very chilly spring...enjoy the sunshine....
