July 2015 confirmed as wettest on record for Central Indiana

It's official, the National Weather Service is reporting what most Hoosiers around central Indiana have suspected for weeks -- July 2015 was the wettest July on record for the area.

For the second consecutive month, monthly rainfall totals reached historic levels in portions of Indiana with monthly totals ranging from only around an inch in pockets of Vermillion County in west-central Indiana to almost 18 inches in portions of Hendricks County.

Monthly totals ranged from 10 to more than 15 inches in a 20- to 40-mile-wide band that extended from Lebanon in Boone County to Charlestown in Clark County of southern Indiana. Rainfall during July varied widely over relatively short distances in several areas of the state.

But for Indianapolis, the monthly total of 13.14 inches set an all-time monthly rainfall record, besting the previous July 1875 record of 13.12 inches. During a particularly stormy period from July 7-17, the 11.54 inches of rainfall dumped on Indianapolis was the most ever for any 11-day period.

The climatological summer of 2015 -- which continues through August -- was already the second wettest on record by July 27, the National Weather Service reported.

Oddly, July began on a dry note for much of Indiana north of the Indianapolis area while locally heavy rains of one to more than four inches fell in southern Indiana from late on June 30 through July 3, followed by a dry spell through July 6.

The seemingly never-ending rains of the summer of 2015 returned on July 7 and continued through the 20th. A dry spell for almost the entire state began on the 21st, lasting five days through the July 25.

Once again storms returned during the evening of July 26 and continued sporadically through the 29th. The last two days of July were dry and pleasant.

Heavy rains of 3 to 5 inches fell mostly during the evenings of the 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 17th, 21st and 26th, generally in central and southern Indiana. Severe local flooding affected homes, businesses and traffic. At times, water rescues were necessary.

Some areas were flooded more than once during the month. July rainfall pushed flood levels on the White River southwest of Indianapolis to levels not seen for the middle of summer since the July and early August floods of 1979.

At Indianapolis, there were 13 days with above-normal average temperatures, 16 days with below-normal average temperatures and two days with normal average temperatures.

Meanwhile, the official outlook for August 2015 from the Climate Prediction Center indicates a greater chance of below normal temperatures across central Indiana.

At Indianapolis, the average temperature for the month is 74.2 degrees. Most of central Indiana has equal chances of above, below or near average precipitation. The average precipitation for August at Indianapolis is 3.13 inches.