If you think we've gone a long time without rain, you're right. Except for one brief but strong downpour on Sept. 7, there has been no measurable rain in the Attleboro area in nearly a month, according to the National Weather Service in Norton.
That rainfall amounted to less than a quarter of an inch. That's ironic since it was a year ago this month, on Sept. 11, 2023, that the Attleboro area experienced one of the worst floods in decades.
The flooding was so severe that parts of Attleboro and North Attleboro qualified for federal relief. The city of Boston is experiencing its longest streak of no measurable rain in decades, according to one local meteorologist. WBZ meteorologist Terry Eliasen noted on X that the city had seen 27 days in a row with no significant rainfall, the longest such stretch since 1999 when Boston saw 37 consecutive dry days.
The longest dry spell for the Boston area was actually 44 days back in 1924. It ended on Nov. 21 of that year.
The area did see less than an inch of rain back in September 2020 and six years earlier in September 2014 there was just 0.7 inches all month. That year, with less than three-quarters of an inch of precipitation, is one of the driest on record and the driest this century.
More dry days are likely still ahead. According to the National Weather Service, there is only a small chance of showers in the forecast for southern New England over the next seven days. Those are likely to start on Wednesday and end Friday, with another.