Wet June near record for Reno

RENO (AP) - June already is going down as one of the wettest on record in Reno, and with a few more drops of rain it could be one for the history books.

But forecasters say that's a long shot.

Showers and thunderstorms Tuesday into Wednesday raised June precipitation measured at Reno-Tahoe International Airport to 1.52 inches, just 0.01 inches shy of the second-wettest June recorded back in 1989.

The wettest June since record keeping began in 1870 was 1.94 inches in 1920.

Earlier this month, a stubborn low pressure system off the California coast brought unusually cool and cloudy weather to the region, with eight straight days of at least some measurable rainfall in the Reno area.

The weather pattern by Thursday was beginning to shift, but forecasters said there was still a slight chance of possible showers or thunderstorms Thursday and Friday nights.

That means there's a good chance this month could wash out 1989 to claim second place honors.

"It's not going to take much to push us to No. 2. It's just such a small amount," said Rhett Milne, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno.

But surpassing the 89-year-old record would take a gully washer and is probably unlikely, he said.

That would require four-tenths of an inch of rain, something Milne described as a "pretty good downpour" for Reno.

"Unless the weather pattern changes right at the end of June, I don't think we're going to get there," he said.