A faint touch of drizzle made a quiet appearance over Seattle this morning, bringing just enough moisture, 0.01 inches by 10 a.m., to register on the rain gauge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. That trace amount was all it took to officially record rainfall for the month, narrowly preventing July from going into the books as the driest ever.
This slim margin means that July 2025 won’t tie with the record-holding dry Julys of years past, including the notable drought year of 2021. Still, while this morning’s drizzle might offer a brief psychological lift, it’s far from the kind of rainfall western Washington urgently needs.
The region remains gripped by a severe drought, one unlikely to ease until the seasonal rains of autumn return. Current conditions are troubling for both agriculture and the environment, as water supplies grow increasingly strained.
Looking back over this year, only 14.37 inches of rain have fallen at SEA Airport since January 1. That makes this the eighth driest January-through-July stretch since recordkeeping began in 1945. For perspective, the driest on record came in 1985, when just 10.72 inches fell by this point in the year.
So while the region dodged one historical weather milestone today, the broader picture remains dry, with real relief still a long way off.
