As of writing this article, September 18, 2024, Omaha has gone 19 full days without any measurable rainfall. The last day it rained in the city was August 28, when 0.11" of rain fell at Eppley Airfield. This is unusual, as highlighted in a recent blog post, there have only been 6 Septembers that have had no rain for the first 14 days. All but one of these have occurred before 1950. Technically, Omaha received a "trace" of rain on the 17th, rain fell, but not enough to be measured. Thus, we continue our streak of non-measurable rain.
Is this close to the record driest stretch in Omaha without any rain? No. Since 1871, there have been 157 stretches where no measurable rain has fallen in 20 days.
So, what is the record for the driest stretch without any measurable rain in Omaha? The answer is 55 days in 1952, where from September 22 to November 15, no measurable rain or snow fell in Omaha. That is almost two months without any rain! Not even the "Dust Bowl" years of the 1930s can compete with that.
1952 was quite the year for Omaha, in April the Missouri River rose to record heights, threatening to flood Omaha and Council Bluffs. For more info on that, you can read about it here. Once the floods subsided, the rain halted for much of summer into fall across the country, leading to major drought, particularly in the southern United States.
Omaha did get rain, on November 16-17, too much rain. Over 2" fell in the city, leading to some flooding and car rescues along Saddle Creek. I guess when it rains, it pours!
There is some good news for us in 2024, this weekend is looking quite soggy! For more details on the forecast, visit our weather page.
