Despite recent rains, much of Vermont remains unusually dry

Parts of Vermont continue to experience ‘moderate drought,’ while other areas are just ‘abnormally dry’

Staff report

Rain fell over much of Vermont this past weekend and was forecast to continue, disrupting some Fourth of July celebrations.

Fireworks at the Vermont State Fairgrounds scheduled for Monday evening, July 3, were canceled Monday morning. A Vermont State Fair Facebook message explained: “It is with tremendous disappointment that we must announce the cancellation of tonight’s scheduled fireworks display that was to be presented by The Paramount Theatre and The Vermont State Fair. Please know that this decision was not made without a lot of thought and consideration… the weather forecast is just too challenging to predict and we want to be able to put on the BEST show for you! Worry not — we will announce a make-up date later in the year!”

However, according to the National Weather Service, overall precipitation during the month of June in Vermont has been relatively normal, with higher overall precipitation in the Northeast Kingdom, and south and central regions of Vermont. According to Brooke Taber, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Burlington, precipitation has varied greatly from town to town. 

“I expect many areas for the month of June will be just above normal precipitation,” Taber said. “But it’s highly variable.” 

Despite the recent rain, much of the state has been experiencing unusually dry conditions so even if June’s precipitation numbers are higher than average, dry conditions could persist. 

According to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, a majority of Lamoille and Franklin counties, and parts of Orleans, Chittenden and Washington counties, continue to experience “moderate drought.” Elsewhere in Vermont, in parts of every county except for Windham, conditions have been categorized as “abnormally dry,” experiencing slightly less severe dryness.

Locally, Rutland County is mostly categorized as “abnormally dry,” while most of Windsor County has experienced average rainfall in June.

Olivia Q. Pintair/VTDigger contributed to this reporting.