July meant hot times in Seattle

Meteorologists blamed a high-pressure system in Eastern Washington for the drop in precipitation but added that July usually is the driest month of the year.

"People usually don't realize that it's usually drier [in Seattle in July] than in the city of Phoenix," said Art Gaebel, a meteorological technician with the National Weather Service office in Seattle.

Total rainfall in Seattle was less than a quarter-inch, and the average temperature was 68.2 degrees, with some days reaching record highs in the 90s.

The amount of rainfall since January is below the average by nearly 5 inches, Weather Service records show. But taking into account above-average rainfall last fall, which is the beginning of what meteorologists call the "water season," Seattle is above average for precipitation by about half an inch, Gaebel said.

"Earlier in the winter, it was wetter than normal, and in the spring it was drier than normal," said Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington. "So it balances out."

Experts said the dry and hot weather is likely to change this week with a low-pressure system pushing into Western Washington. The average temperature for August is likely to be cooler than July's, with an estimated average daily temperature of 65 degrees.

"The whole configuration of the atmosphere is about to shift in a major way," Mass said.

But the new cloud front could be either good or bad news for wildfires in the state. While the system could bring needed rains, it also could bring thunder and lightning that could touch off wildfires in Eastern Washington.

Brandon Sprague: 206-464-2263 or bsprague@seattletimes.com