Drought Information Statement for the Middle Ohio River Valley Valid September 20, 2024 Issued By: NWS Wilmington Ohio Contact Information: spotreport.iln@noaa.gov This product will be updated Oct 18, 2024 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/ILN/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Severe and extreme drought conditions continue to expand across the area Several chances of rainfall through the next week may help temper drought expansion, but significant improvements are not expected 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): Persists across portions of the Lower Scioto/Hocking basins D3 (Extreme Drought): Expanded across portions of the Miami Valley and North-Central Ohio D2 (Severe Drought): Expanded farther through Ohio and into areas of Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana D1 (Moderate Drought): Expanded across portion of the Ohio River where D0 was located D0: (Abnormally Dry): Limited to a small portion of the region near the Ohio River Recent Change in Drought Intensity Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Nearly the entire region has worsened since mid August. No Change: Isolated regions where drought is already extreme or where some rain has prevented introduction of drought Drought Improved: No locations have experienced improvement in drought classification Precipitation Accumulations and Percent of Normal Well below normal precipitation has affected nearly the entire region - with most locations receiving just 5% to 50% of normal rainfall. Summary of Impacts Below normal streamflow has been persistent, and in some cases worsening, across the mid Ohio Valley. Springs have stopped running and creeks are drying up Some lakes retreating toward winter pools without water releases initiated State Climate office of Ohio Agricultural Impacts Early harvesting Drought of 2024 leads to disaster declaration for 22 Ohio Counties Ohio Country Journal Late planted corn and soybeans are being impacted by drought conditions. Pastures are in dire need of rain and many producers have begun feeding hay. Kentucky DOW Drought report Ohio Crop Weather Report, Indiana Crop Weather Report, Kentucky Crop Weather Report Ohio Country Journal State Climate Office of Ohio Kentucky Division of Water Drought Page Fire Hazard Impacts Easily sparked hay, field fires (numerous in Pickaway, Ross, and Champaign County) Mitigation Actions Some localities have issued voluntary or mandatory water restrictions Hauling water for hog and dairy operations. Some farmers are chopping corn for feed. OSU Extension A Burn ban is in effect for some Ohio and Kentucky Counties Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Image Caption: USGS 7 day average streamflow basin map valid September 19, 2024 Streamflow extremely low in some basins, as low as the 10th-25th percentile for mid September. Several U.S. Army Corps lakes are 1 to 7 feet below summer pool levels, with Paint Creek Lake at 7 feet below summer levels. Fire Hazard Impacts Above normal Wildland Fire Potential expected through October Seven Day Precipitation Forecast There is some potential for a few locations to accumulate an inch or more of rainfall over the next seven days, with most locations having the potential to receive at least 0.5” of precipitation. While there is still uncertainty at the time of this issuance, unlike in recent weeks, there will be multiple days with the potential for accumulating precipitation. However, this is unlikely to result in significant drought improvement. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The Climate Prediction Center outlook calls for: Equal chances for below normal, normal, and above normal precipitation An increased chance for above normal temperatures Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought removal is unlikely over the next few months Developing drought continues to expand and worsen A new drought outlook will be issued at the end of September