Drought Information Statement for Central Indiana Valid September 6, 2024 Issued By: NWS Indianapolis, IN Contact Information: nws.indianapolis@noaa.gov This product will be updated by October 4, 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/ind/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates. Moderate Drought conditions (D1) return to Indiana Dry weather is expected and could worsen conditions going forward U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D1: (Moderate Drought): Daviess, Greene, Knox, Martin, Randolph D0: (Abnormally Dry): Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Decatur, Delaware, Fountain, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Rush, Shelby, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, Vigo Recent Change in Drought Intensity Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change 1 class degradation over much of the area 2 class degradation over southwestern counties Precipitation Most of Indiana saw below normal precipitation for the last 30 days, with a couple of exceptions of near to above normal in northern and northwestern parts of central Indiana. Southwestern counties saw 0 to 25% of normal, with central and northeast parts of the state seeing 25 to 75% of normal Temperature The 7 day temperature anomaly (ending Sept 1) over most of the state for max temperatures has been 6 to 8 degrees above normal The 30 day anomaly (again ending Sept 1) shows max temperatures a little warmer than normal across eastern Indiana Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Reports of low pond and lake levels (County Extension Drought Input) Agricultural Impacts Topsoil moisture decreased, with only 46% rated adequate or surplus (USDA Indiana Crop Report) Less than half of pastures are in good to excellent condition. Some supplemental feeding occurring (USDA Indiana Crop Report, County Extension Drought Input) Fire Hazard Impacts Several county burn bans in place (IDHS Burn Ban Status) Above Normal Wildland Fire Potential highlighted for southern Indiana for October (National Interagency Coordination Center) Other Impacts Increased lawn watering (County Extension Drought Input) Mitigation Actions None reported Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Streamflow is near normal across much of Indiana, with pockets of below normal over southwestern, southern, and southeastern Indiana, as well as a pocket of below to much below normal over eastern Indiana. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture is near normal for the northern half or so of Indiana, and running in the 10th to 30th percentile over the southern half of the state Less than half of pastures are in good to excellent condition Corn and soybean conditions have decreased slightly with lack of rain Fire Hazard Impacts Parts of southern Indiana included in the Above Normal Risk area for Significant Wildland Fire Potential for October County burn bans are in effect for 8 counties in southwestern and southeastern Indiana, including Dubois, Gibson, Martin, Posey, Spencer, Switzerland, Vanderburgh and Warrick. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast The seven day precipitation total forecast shows mostly dry conditions for the next week, with 0.01 to 0.25 inches across the majority of the state Rapid Onset Drought Outlook Rapid onset drought risk is in place for most of the state excluding northern Indiana Areas already experiencing drought are expected to persist or worsen Long-Range Outlooks September outlooks favor near normal temperatures over the state, and a lean toward drier than normal precipitation over the northern half or so of the state with near normal precipitation favored over the southern half Drought Outlook Drought is predicted to develop over most of the state (the exception being northwestern parts of the state) during the month of September, and to persist where it already exists