Roughly 2 to 5 inches of rain fell across the D.C. region in the seven days through Memorial Day, offering some relief to severe drought conditions—though officials warn it likely won’t end the drought on its own.
For a lot of people across the Washington, D.C. region, Memorial Day weekend rain meant canceled plans and wet streets. For an area now soaked with concern about water shortages, the stormier stretch brought something else, too: a narrow opening for improvement after worsening drought conditions.
In the seven days through Memorial Day, roughly 2 to 5 inches of rain fell across the region, according to the National Weather Service in Sterling, Virginia. NWS meteorologist Brian LaSorsa said the rain was spread “across the entire area,” which he called “good.”
The regional drought picture has been stark. As of May 19, the entire area was in a severe drought, with 31% of the region meeting that classification in April. The U.S. Drought Monitor—updated weekly by a federal agency and research partners—tracks those conditions over time.
LaSorsa said the next update, due Thursday, should reflect at least some improvement. He expects some parts of the area to move from severe drought to a moderate drought classification. “This wasn’t enough to break the drought, but it does help a little bit,” LaSorsa said.
Even with the recent rainfall, the deficit remains. The rainfall average at Reagan National Airport, going back to May last year, is about 10 inches below normal.
LaSorsa pointed to what it would take to truly turn the situation around. “We’d have to have several more events like this,” he said. He also noted that a bigger shift could come from the kind of storm systems that deliver sustained moisture—adding that “of course. if you get a tropical system or something like that. that could break the drought as well.”.
The rain also came with an important nuance: timing and intensity matter. LaSorsa said the past week’s rainfall was especially beneficial because it generally fell at a slower rate. allowing the moisture to soak into the ground. Summer storms. he said. are often less gentle—producing heavy rainfall that can raise flood risks while not necessarily replenishing drought-stricken soils the same way.
Right now, the region’s weather looks like a partial reset rather than a full recovery. The drought is still there, still severe in overall terms, and still measured in inches short at the airport gauges. Thursday’s Drought Monitor update will be the clearest test of how much these recent rains truly changed the numbers—and whether the relief holds.
D.C. drought Memorial Day rain National Weather Service Brian LaSorsa U.S. Drought Monitor Reagan National Airport severe drought moderate drought flooding risk Sterling Virginia