How hot and dry has it been this summer in Columbia? I did a little checking...

<nerdalert>
Looking at Jun-Aug only, we've had 59 days ≥ 90° F (32.2 C) so far with 2 more forecast, and 23 days ≥ 100° F (37.8 C) with no more forecast. That makes this the 7th hottest or 5th hottest (by those measures, respectively) since they started keeping records in 1890. It's far and away the hottest of the 20 summers we've lived here (next closest were 49 days ≥ 90° in 2007 & 1991, and 9 days ≥ 100° in 2006). Median numbers (1890-2011) are 32/33 days ≥ 90° and 0 days ≥ 100° (but close to 1).

As for precipitation, we've got two days of thunderstorm possibilities predicted yet this month (30% chance Sat, 50% chance Sun), so it could change a little, but so far since June 1 we've had 3.40" of precipitation. That's the third driest since 1890 (and we'd need 1.32" more for that to drop a position). It's far and away the driest in our 20 summers, the next driest being 1999 when we got 6.00" of rain. The median rainfall for these three months is 11.96" We've had less than a third (closer to a quarter) of that amount!
</nerdalert>

So yeah, it's been pretty darn hot and dry. No wonder the lawn crunches when you walk on it!

How hot and dry has it been this summer in Columbia? I did a little checking...

<nerdalert>
Looking at Jun-Aug only, we've had 59 days ≥ 90° F (32.2 C) so far with 2 more forecast, and 23 days ≥ 100° F (37.8 C) with no more forecast. That makes this the 7th hottest or 5th hottest (by those measures, respectively) since they started keeping records in 1890. It's far and away the hottest of the 20 summers we've lived here (next closest were 49 days ≥ 90° in 2007 & 1991, and 9 days ≥ 100° in 2006). Median numbers (1890-2011) are 32/33 days ≥ 90° and 0 days ≥ 100° (but close to 1).

As for precipitation, we've got two days of thunderstorm possibilities predicted yet this month (30% chance Sat, 50% chance Sun), so it could change a little, but so far since June 1 we've had 3.40" of precipitation. That's the third driest since 1890 (and we'd need 1.32" more for that to drop a position). It's far and away the driest in our 20 summers, the next driest being 1999 when we got 6.00" of rain. The median rainfall for these three months is 11.96" We've had less than a third (closer to a quarter) of that amount!
</nerdalert>

So yeah, it's been pretty darn hot and dry. No wonder the lawn crunches when you walk on it!