Drought Information Statement for Central Pennsylvania 
Valid August 15, 2024
Issued by: WFO State College
Contact Information: ctp.stormreports@noaa.gov
This will be the final issuance of this product until drought conditions worsen.
Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements.
Please visit https://www.weather.gov/CTP/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates.
Recent rainfall froim the remnants of Hurricane Debby has allowed for improvement to drought conditions across the area.
Somerset County, which had seen the worst of the drought, has improved a category from D3 (Extreme) to D2 (Severe), and additional improvement is possible with forecasted rainfall this upcoming weekend.

U.S. Drought Monitor
D3 (Extreme Drought)
D2 (Severe Drought)
D1 (Moderate Drought)
D0: (Abnormally Dry)

30-Day Precipitation & Percent of Normal
Main Takeaways:
Recent rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Debby have pushed much of Central Pennsylvania above normal over the last 30 days.

30-Day & 7-Day Temperature Anomalies
Main takeaways:
30-day temperature departures across Central Pennsylvania have generally been above normal, with a cooling trend over the most recent 7 days.

Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts
Average streamflows have markedly improved across Central PA since the remnants of Hurricane Debby produced significant rainfall across the area late last week.
Most of the area is now seeing much above normal steamflows, and even the drier western highlands have seen improvement to near to above normal streamflows.

USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC map

Summary of Impacts
Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter
Hydrologic Impacts 
7-day streamflows have risen to well above average across much of Central Pennsylvania due to the recent rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Debby.

Agricultural Impacts
Impacts to agriculture, including significant reduction in hay growth and low or completely dried out ponds, have been observed across portions of the Laurel Highlands and southern Alleghenies. 
Somerset County has been particularly hard hit, with significant crop damage and the possibility that the season’s second croup may not happen.

Mitigation Actions
Please refere to your municipality and/or water provided for mitigation information.

8-14 Day Temperature & Precipitation Outlooks
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
A trend towards below normal temperatures and near to above normal precipitation is expected for late August, which could help continue to improve lingering drought conditions across Central Pennsylvania.

Drought Outlook
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Overall improvement in drought conditions is expected during the month of August, and rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Debby have allowed streamflows across much Central Pennsylvania to rise well above normal.
The expected trend towards below normal temperatures and near to above normal precipitation should continue to aid in improvement in the coming month.

Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook 
Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook