Rain, 0.03 for July
As of today, about 80 percent of the nation is in some state of drought.
On Tuesday, a handful of determined water droplets found their ways into the official rain gauge at Philadelphia International Airport.
They lifted the official monthly total to 0.03 inches; this after below-normal rainfall is each of the last six months.
As we posted earlier, Philadelphia is on pace for its driest year on record, and the period since Jan. 1 has been one of the driest such periods since the government began keeping score in 1874.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map, published this morning, shows that about 80 percent of the continiguous United States is in some state of drought.
Moderate drought or worse covers better than 60 percent of the 48 states.
Philadelphia, along with Delaware County and southern Bucks and Montgomery Counties are classified as "abnormally dry," as is a portion of Jersey from Trenton to Gloucester County.
The chance for showers shows up in the forecast for Friday night through Sunday. As always, however, they will be hit or miss.
Meanwhile, another heat wave starts today, and it will lap into next week.