So Far, It's the Driest Summer SEATTLE, WA (KPLU) - If you have a garden in western Washington, you know it's been dry lately. In fact, new figures show we're having the driest start to a summer ever. Even though summer officially began on June 20th, it seems to have actually arrived a month early, on May 20th, when the current dry spell began, says Karen Bumbaco, assistant state climatologist, based at the University of Washington.

She compared rain measurements from May 20th through July 4th, and compared them to every year on record for that same stretch of time. She found, it's the driest it's ever been, by a longshot. Still, that's no guarantee we will end up having the driest summer ever. The current record was set in 2003. Then, 2004 looked like it would be even drier, until a sudden storm in mid-August dumped more than an inch of rain.

(To hear the full story from KPLU science and health reporter Keith Seinfeld, click "play" above.)

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