Friday’s weather will make or break this 60-year climate record for Bellingham
Rain that’s in the forecast later this week could end a near-record dry spell for Bellingham, but it won’t have much impact on the drought or statewide burn bans.
Rainy days are few and far between during summer in the Northwest, but Bellingham and Whatcom County haven’t seen measurable precipitation since June 14.
That’s 50 days.
There were a few sprinkles Saturday and Sunday, but a “trace” of rain doesn’t count — it has to be a least .01 inch, the National Weather Service told The Bellingham Herald in a tweet.
If the dry spell holds through Thursday, Aug. 5, the summer of 2021 will be tied for second place against 1960, which saw 54 consecutive days without rain, according to measurements dating to 1949 from Bellingham International Airport.
If the rain holds off through Sunday, it would set a new mark.
So should Whatcom County residents root for the record or pray for rain?
“As a meteorologist, you find yourself with that conundrum,” said Brett Bower of the National Weather Service in Seattle. “It’s interesting to see (a record) and if it’s harmless it’s OK. But when it’s been dry for so long ... .”
Meanwhile, “sustained rainfall” is required to diminish fire risk, and “as far as the drought, it’s not going to change that,” Bower told The Bellingham Herald.
“It will be pleasant and it will water your flowers and lawns,” he said.
