Cincinnati July rain was below normal. East Side is a different story
Although Cincinnati officially recorded slightly less rain than normal in July, East Side neighborhoods battered by a deadly 1,000-year storm saw more than 10 inches of precipitation, making it the area's second-wettest July on record. And that was on the heels of the wettest June on record there.
According to the National Weather Service, Cincinnati recorded 3.74 inches of rain in July, that is 0.09 inches below normal. The month's highest daily rainfall total occurred July 18, when overnight storms killed one person and flooded homes and businesses across the region.
The weather service also highlighted several severe weather events during the month, including flash flooding and heavy rainfall July 17, additional flooding and severe storms July 21, and damaging winds July 27.
The July 17 storm produced the heaviest rainfall in eastern Cincinnati and the Hamilton County communities of Norwood, Silverton, Fairfax and Mariemont, where rainfall totals reached 4 to 5 inches.
Debris on the side of Wooster Road on July 18, 2026, after flash flooding from heavy rain the night before. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer)Storm debris wraps around a pole on Wooster Road. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer)More flood debris along Wooster Road on Saturday, July 18. The National Weather Service said more rain could hit the area over the weekend. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer)Cars stranded in the parking lot between Edwards and Michigan in Hyde Park around 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 17, 2026. (Jackie Borchardt/The Enquirer)Cars stranded in the parking lot between Edwards and Michigan in Hyde Park around 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 17, 2026. (Jackie Borchardt/The Enquirer)Cars stranded in the parking lot between Edwards and Michigan in Hyde Park around 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 17, 2026. (Jackie Borchardt/The Enquirer)
Debris on the side of Wooster Road on July 18, 2026, after flash flooding from heavy rain the night before.
A cluster of thunderstorms on July 21 brought damaging winds, several confirmed tornadoes and additional flooding. Another round of storms July 27 produced damaging winds across parts of Indiana, Kentucky and western Ohio.
While July's rainfall total was slightly below average, data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows that Cincinnati's East Side experienced the second-wettest July on record, with 10.18 inches of precipitation. The wettest July recorded at the Cincinnati Municipal Airport/Lunken Field was in 1958, when 10.70 inches fell.
This year the East Side also had the wettest June on record, with 11.77. In 2025, Lunken Field received 58.88 inches of precipitation, the second-highest annual total on record. The record remains 58.90 inches, set in 1996.
Even though last year recorded the second-highest rainfall, the East Side, which includes the Oakley, Hyde Park, Mount Lookout and Fairfax communities, has already received more precipitation in June and July this year than it did during the same two-month period in 2025.
Heavy rain falls on downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (Sam Greene/The Enquirer)Cincinnati Reds grounds crew spreads out the tarp in the sixth inning to suspend play between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 1, 2026. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer)Cincinnati Reds grounds crew spreads out the tarp in the sixth inning to suspend play between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 1, 2026. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer)Cincinnati Reds fans watch in the third inning between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 1, 2026. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer)Cincinnati Reds fans watch in the third inning between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 1, 2026. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer)Pedestrians walk outside Great American Ball Park during a rain delay in the sixth inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 1, 2026. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer)Pedestrians walk outside Great American Ball Park during a rain delay in the sixth inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 1, 2026. (Albert Cesare/The Enquirer)Heavy rain falls on downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (Sam Greene/The Enquirer)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati July rain was below normal. East Side is a different story