Drought Information Statement for Northern Ohio Valid September 12, 2024 Issued By: NWS Cleveland Contact Information: nicholas.greenawalt@noaa.gov This product will be updated September 19, 2024. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/cle/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates. Severe Drought (D2) conditions have developed across northwest Ohio. This is the first time D2 conditions have occurred in the NWS Cleveland forecast area since August 2016. U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D2 (Severe Drought): Southeastern Lucas, northern Wood, western Ottawa, and northwestern Sandusky counties in Ohio. D1 (Moderate Drought): Most of northwestern Ohio and locations near U.S. Route 30 in north-central Ohio. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Most of north-central Ohio, the Youngstown-Warren area, and far southern Crawford county, PA. Recent Change in Drought Intensity Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Most of northwest and north central Ohio, some portions of northeast Ohio in the Canton to Youngstown-Warren areas. No Change: Small portions of northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. Drought Improved: A small corridor from northeast Wayne county northeastward to eastern Cuyahoga and Geauga counties, where 4 to 7 inches of rain fell on August 8th. Precipitation Aside from small portions of northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania, most of the area has received less than 2 inches of rainfall in the past 30 days. A large portion of the area has seen less than 50% of normal rainfall during the past 30 days. Temperature Temperatures have been near to 1 to 3 degrees above normal over the last 7 and 30 days. Summary of Impacts According to USGS, streamflows are abnormally low across portions of the D1 and D2 areas. According to CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring, water levels on small creeks and ponds are low across the area. Agricultural Impacts According to CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring, corn crops are brown and soybean leaves are yellowing in D1 and D2 areas. Fire Hazard Impacts Low humidity, dry fuels, and periodic breezy winds may result in elevated fire danger in dry locations. Other Impacts According to CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring: Unwatered lawns have turned brown in D0 to D2 locations with the most widespread impacts in the D2 area. Trees are losing leaves in all dry locations. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Rain chances are low through the next seven days. Dry weather is anticipated through the weekend and possibly into the first half of next week. The remnants of a coastal low may move into the region by the middle of next week, but it’s possible that rainfall remains to the south or east of the area. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Chances are leaning towards below normal precipitation through the end of September. There are no strong signals of above or below normal temperatures through the end of September. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought is predicted to persist across the D2 area in September. Drought is predicted to develop across the majority of northern Ohio in September.