According to the National Weather Service, Philadelphia’s recent long stretch of dry weather is a record breaker, with extreme dry conditions also persisting in other nearby cities across the Mid Atlantic and Northeast.
The last day of measurable rainfall at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania occurred on September 28th, with only a trace of rain recorded on September 29 and October 24. With more than 30 days now with no measurable precipitation in Philadelphia, this now becomes the longest dry stretch of weather for the city of Brotherly Love since weather records were kept in 1871.
The prior record of 29 consecutive days without measurable precipitation occurred 150 years ago between October 11 and November 8, 1874. During that stretch of time, no precipitation was recorded, not even a trace.
Wilmington, Delaware, Georgetown, Delaware, Trenton, New Jersey, and Atlantic City, New Jersey are other nearby cities that are now ranking in the top 5 driest stretches of weather history in records that go back as far as 1894. Currently Wilmington has 30 consecutive precipitation-free days; they would need 34 to tie with the record set in February 1909. Georgetown has 30 consecutive days and also needs 34 to tie a record set in November of 2001. The records in New Jersey will be harder to break: currently Trenton has a 30-day dry stretch and needs 38 to tie with the record set there in May of 1903. Atlantic City currently has a stretch of 26 dry days; it would need 34 to tie the record set in September 1995.
