Philly gets a ‘trace’ of rain Thursday morning. Is that all there is?
Another dry front is due, and it's looking like Philly may have its first-ever rainless month.
More or less out of the relentless blue, raindrops were sighted officially by the automated observer at Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday morning.
No flooding was reported. To say they didn’t amount to much would be an understatement. It was a mere “trace” that fell below the 0.01-inch threshold for “measurable,” meaning Philly’s rainless spell has reached day 26.
“A whole trace,” said Bob Larson, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. “Who says it doesn’t rain anymore?”
If the dryness continues through Sunday, it would tie the 125-year-old record for the longest dry spell in Philadelphia, and the longer-range outlooks suggest that Philly has a chance of experiencing its first month ever without measurable precipitation.
Two fronts are due to pass through the region Friday night and Saturday, but given how dry the atmosphere has been, forecasters suggested that wringing out any rain may be harder than squeezing blood out of a rock.
In its afternoon discussion, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, said, “It’s not out of the question a few places could see some spotty light showers Friday night, but it probably would not even be enough to measure.”
With its latest update, the U.S. Drought Monitor had portions of Philly and the seven neighboring counties in “severe drought,” with the rest of the region in “moderate drought.”
Thursday’s phantom predawn shower that may have surprised some early risers did nothing to move the weather service to take down its “red flag” warning for brush fire danger in most of New Jersey, and with brisk winds expected again Friday, it may again hoist the flag.
» READ MORE: N.J. enacts fire restrictions as ‘some of the driest conditions ever’ spread across state
The “rain” was associated with a front that has knocked temperatures back to more seasonal levels with readings Thursday that were about 15 degrees lower than they were Wednesday, when it reached 84 degrees at the airport. Highs in the 60s are expected Friday and Saturday, and might not reach 60 Sunday.
Reading and Allentown hit the rain jackpot Thursday, said Larson, with 0.01 inches measured at each station.
If the next front comes through dry, that 1924 record, set in the 29-day period that ended Nov. 8, is toast, forecasters say.
Larson said he sees measurable rain sometime during election week. A tropical system may be brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, but Larson said that even if that is not a factor, “There appears to be potential change in the upper-level pattern.”
That’s something a lot of people might vote for.
Staff writer Emily Babay contributed to this article.