To find the difference in rainfall between June and July, we need to consider both months' rainfall in relation to normal.
June's rainfall was 2.3 inches above normal, so we can express it as:
\[ J = +2.3 , \text{inches} \]
July's rainfall was 1.2 inches below normal, which can be expressed as:
\[ J = -1.2 , \text{inches} \]
Now, to find the difference in rainfall between June and July, we calculate:
\[ \text{Difference} = J_{\text{June}} - J_{\text{July}} \]
Substituting the values:
\[ \text{Difference} = 2.3 - (-1.2) \]
This simplifies to:
\[ \text{Difference} = 2.3 + 1.2 \]
Now, adding the two values:
\[ \text{Difference} = 3.5 , \text{inches} \]
Therefore, the difference in rainfall between June and July was 3.5 inches.