THE LEAFLET

Since April (Watering Alerts are released weekly from May-September), we’ve picked up over 40 inches of rain, which is record breaking (check out our Leaflet article about this remarkable rain). During this stretch, we’ve observed at least an inch of rain for 15 days, also the most on record. The 23.17 inches of rain we’ve seen since July 1 is the second-most on record. Woof. So what did this look like month to month?

We should have seen it coming when May, and thus Weekly Watering Alerts, started off on a soggy note. May in D.C. was marked by – you guessed it – rain.

June was relatively normal, all things considered. With temperatures falling in an acceptable 70s the majority of time, it was still at times surprisingly wet and muggy. Historic water levels at Great Falls and throughout the Potomac was a particularly buzz worthy topic throughout the DMV during June.

While July and August had ridiculous hot weather (the average temperature was over 80 and remember that fun streak of 90+ degree days?) thanks to spotty rain and the occasional scattered thunderstorm, we still had to occasionally pull out the hose and water young trees. Another remarkable weather fact from this season? Our switch in July from bone dry to waterlogged was one of the most extreme weather transitions.  

And jeez, where do we even start with September? Record breaking amounts of rain and clouds. Definitely no need to water.

Needless to say, the hose has been quiet this year. Here’s a breakdown of Weekly Watering Alerts:

As the summer has officially come to an end, so do our Weekly Watering Alerts. However, just because our Watering Alerts have ended doesn’t mean you should stop watering – our arborist suggests that trees still in their first two to three years should still be watered once a week through October…and possibly November if warm weather persists. Feel free to reach out to us at friends@caseytrees.org or 202-833-4010 if you have any questions.

So what will next year bring? Even more rain? Endless sun? Pots of gold at the end of rainbows? Only time will tell.