DC Area Reports Staggering Rainfall: Report

No, you aren't imagining all this rain: the D.C. area has recorded truly mind-blowing rainfall totals so far in 2018. In fact, at nearly 49 inches, this is D.C.'s third wettest year to date, and it means we've gotten far more rain than cities with rainy reputations like Seattle and London.

The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang reports that D.C.'s 49 inches is more than twice Seattle's 20.39 inches so far this year and three times the 15 inches London has gotten. That's actually not abnormal: annual rainfall amounts in those cities are surprisingly lower than D.C. on average. What is abnormal is just how much more rain D.C. has gotten.

It is true that Seattle and London are quite cloudy, CWG points out, but their rain falls "gently" compared to us. And with the last few weeks we've seen, it's no surprise that this is rainy even by our standards.

The remnants of Hurricane Florence certainly helped push us over the top. The Mid-Atlantic region in general has seen an extreme amount of rainfall in general this year.

Unfortunately, the National Weather Service predicts the rain will last at least through Thursday here, and Wednesday will be particularly unpleasant thanks to high temperatures in combination with the moisture.

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)