The record rainfall in Washington on Wednesday punctuated a wet pattern seen throughout the month, and moved D.C. into fourth place when it comes to wettest Decembers since 1871.
The 1.2 inches that fell bested the old daily record of 1.16 inches in 1894. Baltimore also set a record with 1.62 inches, while western suburbs fell short given somewhat lower rainfall tallies. A total of 6.39 inches of rain fell through Wednesday, with a little more so far Thursday. This compares with a December average of 3.41 inches.
It has been a remarkable turnaround from fall and much of the year, when drought plagued the region. Four major rainstorms this month alone mean that once dry soils are unable to hold much more rain. Each dropped at least an inch on some spots, with some delivering even more.
The most recent storm
Roughly 0.75 to 1.5 inches of rain fell across much of the D.C. region with Wednesday’s storm. Some totals were a bit higher east or lower to the west.
In addition to the record rainfall Wednesday in D.C. and Baltimore, some rain fell both late Tuesday and early Thursday. Here’s a sampling of storm totals:
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- 2.04 inches in Upper Marlboro
- 1.81 inches in Annapolis
- 1.50 inches in Patuxent
- 1.45 inches at Joint Base Andrews
- 1.33 inches in Washington
- 1.67 inches in Baltimore
- 0.98 inches at Dulles Airport
- 0.92 inches in Fairfax Station
It was also the third calendar day with an inch or more of rain in Washington, which ties for the most on record during December.
As soils continue to saturate from regular rain in recent weeks, some isolated flooding was observed, particularly in Prince George’s County around Upper Marlboro. A flood warning was issued there early Thursday, mainly for rivers, creeks and other low-lying locations at risk of minor inundation.
Additional daily rainfall records were set Wednesday in Richmond; Wilmington, Del.; Pittsburgh; and Hatteras, N.C., among other locations. More rain is likely in New England on Thursday.
A wet month up and down the East Coast
The whole of the East Coast from Florida to Maine was overtaken by above-average precipitation this month as precipitation-packed storm systems tracked from the Gulf Coast region to New England.
In addition to the heavy rain in D.C., Baltimore is in the midst of its third-wettest final month of the year, with 7.16 inches of rain through Wednesday. The 5.74 inches at Dulles is good enough for sixth-wettest there.
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Boosted by tropical moisture related to the strong El Niño ongoing in the Pacific Ocean, many locations from the Florida Panhandle through the southern Appalachians and into the Mid-Atlantic have also seen notable drought relief in recent weeks.
The D.C. region is now largely drought-free after dealing with it on and off much of the year.
But where’s the snow?
If you’re looking for snow, getting colder temperatures into the country would be a good place to start. With temperatures about 3 degrees above normal locally, managing even a dusting- to coating-type of event like earlier this month would be difficult.
Despite several storms that tracked offshore to the east of the Mid-Atlantic, which are often favorable for some snow, rain has been the only game in town. The same El Niño pattern that has fueled this wet December is also basking the globe in record warmth, compounded further by steadily rising temperatures from human-caused climate change.
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The most recent year with similar precipitation totals in December was 2009. The 6.79 inches that year was not all snow, but the month delivered a historic snowstorm and then some.
All the other top five wettest Decembers (minus 1881 because there were no snowfall measurements) featured more snow than this one.
The wettest in 1901 had similarly little snow, only recording 0.3 inches amid 7.56 inches of rain. The others all saw substantial snowfall compared with the current monthly average of 1.7 inches and current monthly total of 0.1 inches: 2009 finished December with 16.6 inches, 1969 with 6.8 inches and 1973 with 11 inches.
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