Dry summer didn't keep us from more rain than usual in '03

Despite a dry summer that seemed it would never end, Mother Nature was generous with her watering can in 2003, bringing the Seattle area 41.52 inches of rain, about 3 inches above normal.

Thank October's 8.95 inches of rain, and the 7.95 inches that fell last January, for taking the lead roles in that soggy story.

December managed a meager 3.88 inches of precipitation, only about two-thirds of its normal amount. No single day managed even a half-inch of rain, with the wettest day, Dec. 13, bringing .46 of an inch.

In contrast, December 2002 brought a slightly above-average 5.98 inches of rain.

Average high for the month just completed was 46.4, and its average low was 36.8, each of those slightly above normal.

December's coldest day, Tuesday, and Feb. 25 tied for the year's chilliest day at 25 degrees.

By far, the summer's stretch of sunny days was the weather's most noticeable feature in 2003.

It included two straight months of 70-plus-degree days, and the driest June-through-August combo since records were first kept in 1895.

But sunny in Seattle doesn't mean frying eggs on the sidewalk.

The year's high temperature, 93, was hit just once, on July 29. On the bulk of the dry days, temperatures remained in the 70s. July was the warmest month, averaging a daily high of 79 degrees. February was the coldest, with its low temperatures averaging 35.8 degrees.

As the nice weather came to a close, October was a month of sharp contrast, starting with a high of 71 and dipping to a low of 30 degrees.

And although October took the title of the year's rainiest month, more than 5 inches of that — half the month's total — fell in a 24-hour period ending at 1 a.m. Oct. 21. That deluge produced swollen rivers around Western Washington.

If records are any indication of what the future holds, keep the umbrella handy.

January averages 5.38 inches of precipitation, making it historically the area's third-wettest month, after November and December.

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com