For the month of October 2025, the total precipitation that had fallen at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) through the 29th was 0.72″, which would have ranked as the 12th driest October (tying the amount from 1912) in Baltimore’s official records dating back to 1871. However, late on the 29th, a low pressure system began approaching the area from the southwest, bringing heavy rain to the Mid-Atlantic States. On the 29th, light, measurable rain began falling at BWI by 8:45 PM, accumulating to 0.10″ by end of day. As the system got closer, heavier rain began early on the 30th and, by midday, a total of 1.93″ was measured, breaking the previous daily record of 0.97″ set way back in 1898 (127 years ago). Though this was not an extreme amount of rain for the area, it was enough to not only break the daily record but that previous record of 0.97″ was the only October day to never have recorded at least 1.00″ of rain. Now, there are only 4 calendar dates in Baltimore’s official 155-year precipitation archive (back to 1871) that have not recorded at least 1.00″ of precipitation: February 27th (0.83″ in 1958); April 7th (0.93″ in 1899); May 14th (0.91″ in 1938), and November 18th (0.84″ in 1886).

Note: Baltimore’s official precipitation archive began in 1871 and continued at various downtown locations until the National Weather Service moved the official location on July 23, 1950 from the Custom House to what is now Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.   

Cover photo of rainy Fells Point, looking like a beautiful watercolor painting, courtesy of Beauty-of-Baltimore on Instagram. Title: “Thames Through Fog and Rain.”