Where’d the rain go? Boston in midst of longest dry stretch in 25 years

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Happy Friday the 13th. After you brush up on your pronunciation of paraskevidekatriaphobia, let’s get to the news.

Rain, rain, went away: If you feel like it’s been a long time since it’s rained, you’re right. Today marks the 23rd straight day without any measurable rain in the Boston area. It’s the area’s longest dry stretch in 25 years, according to the National Weather Service.

• Not that we’re complaining, but why has it been so nice? NWS meteorologist Candice Hrencecin says the reason is a somewhat unusually extended pattern of high pressure systems that New England has been sitting under. “That’s been kind of inhibiting any kind of substantial showers,” Hrencecin told WBUR’s Amy Sokolow. “Not even a lot of clouds have been forming.”
• How weird is it? The last dry stretch this long was in 1999, when the area went 37 days from late May through June without any rain. Hrencecin says the longest ever was 44 days in 1924.
• FWIW: Despite the lack of rain, drought levels in the state haven’t budged much. New data yesterday from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows only 3.7% of the state experiencing “abnormally dry” conditions. According to their drought map, the driest parts of the state are the Merrimack Valley, Cape Ann and Nantucket.
• What’s ahead? Warm days and cool nights continue into next week. As for rain, Hrencecin says it’s “not in the near future.”

On Capitol Hill: A U.S. Senate committee plans to vote next Thursday on charging Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre with civil and criminal contempt of Congress, after he ignored a subpoena to show up at a hearing yesterday investigating the bankrupt company’s failures. Both top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions spoke out in support of the vote. WBUR’s Priyanka Dayal McCluskey has more on what happened in the Senate hearing room here.

• Why it matters: The civil and criminal contempt charges — which both would also need approval from the full Senate — kick off separate, multi-step legal processes that could lead to a fine or even a prison sentence for de la Torre if he refuses to cooperate.
• Tune in: Sen. Ed Markey will be on Radio Boston this morning at 11 a.m. to talk more about the contempt vote and what’s next.

Heads up: Health insurance premiums are going up for people who get coverage through the Massachusetts Health Connector. Officials said yesterday at a board meeting that rates for health insurance through the state marketplace system would rise an average of about 8%, compared to last year’s 3% hike.

• Why? Connector officials say demand for popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy is helping to drive the increases. Kristopher Harackiewicz, the Connector’s director of plan management and carrier relations, said that Massachusetts is not alone in seeing premium increases. “Data from nearby states shows increases for plan year 2025 ranging anywhere from 7% to 18%, with Massachusetts seeing actually slightly lower than the average increases,” Harackiewicz said.
• Save the date: This year’s open enrollment period for Connector plans begins on Nov. 1.

On Beacon Hill: Cambridge state Rep. Marjorie Decker is all but assured to keep her seat, following the results of Democratic primary election recount yesterday. The recount affirmed that Decker defeated challenger Evan McKay by 41 votes. Because she has no Republican opponent in the general election, Decker is set to secure her seventh term representing the 25th Middlesex District.

• Meanwhile: A federal jury has convicted former Republican state Sen. Dean Tran of almost two dozen tax and unemployment fraud charges. (Tran told The Boston Globe he plans to appeal.) He also faces two other unrelated indictments in state court.

PSA: CVS is now offering on-site hormonal birth control prescriptions at nearly 400 locations across Massachusetts. The pharmacy chain says patients 18 years and older can receive walk-in consultations with a pharmacist, and if eligible, get a same-day birth control prescription. (Click here for more details on the process.)

• The new initiative was authorized by last year’s state budget. According to lawmakers, Massachusetts joins 27 states in allowing pharmacists to directly prescribe hormonal birth control.

P.S.— What is the new nickname of Boston’s team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week’s stories.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.