The famished foliage no doubt was grateful for Monday's random rains -- ranging from 0.25 at Philadelphia International Airport to 2-plus on the Main Line to 4-plus in Exton.
But as of today, the U.S. Drought Monitor has placed Philadelphia and the adjacent Pennsylvania counties in the "abnormally dry" zone. Southern Delaware is in the "severe drought" category.
Over the last month, rainfall is actually significantly above normal on the Jersey side of the river in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties.
To the west, however, as of yesterday Philadelphia was at 66 percent of normal; Montgomery, 48; Chester, 50; Bucks, 80, and Delaware, 83.
About 40 percent of the contiguous United States is in some state of abnormal dryness, up 4 percent form last week.
That includes the majority of Pennsylvania, where the percentage of the corn crop designated as being in "poor" or "very poor" condition jumped from 11 percent, to 30 percent, from July 17 to 24, thanks in part to the oppressive heat.
The forecast does call for a chance of showers overnight and tomorrow, but yet another hot spell is about to take hold.
No substantial, widespread rain is in the forecast, and it looks like Tropical Storm Don isn't going to be much help up this way.