D.C. Region Rain Eases Severe Drought in Drought Monitor Update

Roughly 2 to 5 inches of rain fell across the D.C. region in the seven days through Memorial Day, and National Weather Service meteorologist Brian LaSorsa said the drought monitor should show improvement on Thursday. The rainfall reached the entire area and gave the region its first broad relief after weeks of worsening dryness.

Brian LaSorsa on Thursday's update

LaSorsa said some parts of the area should return to a moderate drought classification, even though the recent rain will not end the drought. “And it’s occurred across the entire area, which is good,” LaSorsa said.

The U.S. Drought Monitor had the entire area in a severe drought as of May 19, after reporting that 31% of the region met the severe drought classification in April. Rainfall at Reagan National Airport going back to May last year was about 10 inches below normal, leaving the region short of the sustained moisture needed to recover.

Reagan National Airport rainfall deficit

The past week’s rain helped because it generally fell at a slower rate and allowed moisture to soak in. LaSorsa said that kind of rainfall can move the drought category, but it does not erase the broader deficit on its own.

“This wasn’t enough to break the drought, but it does help a little bit,” LaSorsa said. “We’d have to have several more events like this, and of course, if you get a tropical system or something like that, that could break the drought as well,” he said.

For residents across the D.C. region, the practical change is limited but immediate: Thursday's update could bring a downgrade in some areas, while the broader drought remains in place until several more rain events change the region's moisture balance.