Weeds grow through the cracked soil on what would usually be on the bottom of the Hoppin Hill Reservoir, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, in North Attleboro, Mass. The City of Attleboro, like much of the Northeast, is experiencing drought like conditions. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Weeds grow through the cracked soil on what would usually be on the bottom of the Hoppin Hill Reservoir, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, in North Attleboro, Mass. The City of Attleboro, like much of the Northeast, is experiencing drought like conditions. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Credit: Charles Krupa

As if you needed confirmation as you watch your lawn turn brown, the National Weather Service says the state just experienced the driest summer since records began in 1895, and also one of the hottest.

During June, July and August the state received 7.5 inches of rain, a full 4.2 inches below the 131-year average and the smallest amount of summer rain ever recorded, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information database.

The three-month summer had the 10th highest average temperature on record.

This summer was the second driest on record for Vermont, the sixth-driest on record for Maine, and the 16th-driest on record for Massachusetts.

The searchable database is at www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/rankings

David Brooks can be reached at dbrooks@cmonitor.com. Sign up for his Granite Geek weekly email newsletter at granitegeek.org.