Monday's Rainfall At Reagan Airport Shattered Record: Report

ARLINGTON, VA — The rain that fell Monday morning was more than just a deluge -- it was an all-time record for our area.

At 3.3 inches, the rain that fell from 8:52 to 9:52 a.m. was the highest hourly precipitation ever recorded at DCA, according to weather consulting firm Maxar. It was nearly half an inch more than the previous record of 2.9 inches set back on Aug. 20, 1963.

In fact, Reagan Airport had recorded more than two inches of rain only six other times in history before Monday.

Very impressive: according to data from the Iowa Mesonet (https://t.co/g5qvb6tQZl) the 3.30" recorded between 8:52-9:52 AM yesterday was Washington DC's highest hourly precip report in records dating back to 1936 pic.twitter.com/OdYeVPQ1uJ
— Maxar | Weather Desk (@Maxar_Weather) July 9, 2019

An interesting wrinkle is that the rain event was the only one in the top 10 to happen in the morning hours. Nearly all of the other ones happened late into the evening, except for No. 3 (a 2018 event), which ended at 3:52 p.m.

The historic rain created massive flooding throughout Arlington County, and extensive damage. Some businesses remain closed even after all the water receded.

The Washington Post's Capital Weather gang noted that the rainfall was so extensive that it could water the entire National Mall for more than 19 years.

Nationwide, it's been quite wet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that the United States had its wettest 12 months on record from July 2018 to June 2019.

The water that fell in DC Monday could also fill:
* 27 million jacuzzi-size bathtubs
* 1.1 million hot air balloons
* 48,000 metro cars
And was enough to water the National Mall for a little over 19 years.
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) July 9, 2019

Some folks lost everything in yesterday's massive flash flood... Arlington was arguably the hardest-hit area. https://t.co/w2j7Oc864n
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) July 9, 2019