DETROIT – Big chunks of southeast Michigan are now in moderate drought, while others have picked up more rain than normal. We do have rain in the forecast, but it’s not until next week.
Rain Wanted
This week’s Drought Monitor is out from the federal government, putting most of our South and North Zones into moderate drought. That categorization means most crops and vegetation are stressed and well levels are declining. In between these areas, much of the Metro and West Zone is doing better. They’re still listed as ‘abnormally dry’ or what we would consider pre-drought.
You wouldn’t know it from looking at our official rainfall totals at Metro Airport, however. July rainfall in Romulus is DOUBLE our monthly average! Even from June 1st (the start of meteorological summer), we’re running a surplus of more than one inch… at that specific location, of course. If you lived here long enough, you know summer rainfall is always a story of the haves and have-nots. Our next shot of rain isn’t coming until very late Sunday night, most likely Monday morning.
Heat & Humidity Return
We’re getting a break from the humidity today, but it will be back on Sunday. And this time it’s bringing the heat with it. Expect temperatures close to 90 on Saturday, and in the low 90s on Sunday. So heat index readings will likely hit the mid-to-upper 90s in spots during the afternoon Sunday. Monday’s rain should keep daytime highs in the 80s, but the humidity will be at tropical levels until Tuesday.
Another Historic Month
This is the last full week of July. And when we close the books a week from Saturday, this will be a top 10 hottest July. If the forecast holds, 2020 will record the 5th hottest July in Detroit history. We didn’t (and won’t) set any daily temperature records, but 30 out of 31 days will have at-or-above normal temperatures!