Rain on Tuesday gave Spokane’s dry spring a little relief, but not enough to erase the deficit. The Spokane area was still below its average rainfall for this time of year after the storm, and parts of Spokane County remained in moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
At Spokane International Airport, 0.43 inches of precipitation fell Tuesday, bringing May’s total there to 0.74 inches. Daniel Butler said Spokane needs 1.55 inches of rain to be normal for May, and the city was still at less than half of that. “We need 1.55 inches to be normal, and we’re only at 0.74 at this point,” Butler said. “So still less than half of what’s normal.”
The forecast offers another chance for rain, but it comes with heat and uncertainty. Downtown Spokane will most likely hit 90 on Thursday, while areas near the airport are expected to reach the high 80s. Thunderstorms are predicted for Thursday late afternoon and evening, with new rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. Butler said the storms could help, but not everyone will get hit. “It could miss us entirely,” he said. “But if hits us that could tip us over the edge to get to normal.”
After Thursday, the chance for rain fades but does not disappear. Friday brings a slight chance of showers and a high of 77, followed by a slight chance of showers on Saturday with a high of 67. Sunday is forecast to reach 69. For Spokane, the immediate story is not whether rain fell Tuesday. It is whether the next round of storms arrives in the right places long enough to make a meaningful dent in a spring that is still running dry.
