Monday's piddling rainfall wouldn't do much to divert Fort Wayne from one of its driest years on record, as the city's traditional second-wettest month seemed likely to pass without its usual showers.
Despite sprinkles and possible thunderstorms Monday, the Fort Wayne area would continue a 79-day streak without even half an inch of rain in any given 24-hour period, said Nick Greenawalt, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Syracuse.
"Right now we're sitting about six inches below normal," Greenawalt said. "What's kind of telling is normally, we see considerable flooding in the spring...and that hasn't been an issue whatsoever."
Fort Wayne's 79 days without substantial rain is the area's 25th-longest streak on record, Greenawalt said. This year is also tied for Fort Wayne's 5th-driest year through June 10.
But so far, 2012 closely matches 1962, which holds the record as the city's driest year ever, he said. In 1962, the area got only 24.4 inches of rain for the whole year, not because of a long dry streak but because rainfall was little and far between, Greenawalt said. This year bears a close resemblance, he said.
"It's not that we're getting so many consecutive days, but when we do get rain, it's not very much and it's pretty far between," he said.
And to date, 2012 has been even drier than the record-setting year. Only 10.36 inches of water has fallen this year, compared with 14.78 inches in 1962, according to National Weather Service data.
Historically, the Fort Wayne area gets most of its wet weather from mid-May through mid-June, Greenawalt said. Fifty years ago, for example, rainfall increased by about 5 inches between May and June.
But the parched region's best opportunity for relief is quickly passing. After some showers Monday, the next week would likely go by without any more rain, according to weather service forecasts.
