What it would take to end the drought in a month

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Central Ohio went through a multiple week stretch without any measurable rain. This has led our drought conditions to worsen over the weeks. Here is a bit of an idea on what it would take to end the drought within a one month period.

Columbus’s climate district includes the counties of Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Licking, Madison, Marion and Union. According to the NOAA National Center for Environmental Information, this district would have to see roughly 8.08 inches of rain in the next month to exit the drought.

If that rain was spread out evenly, that would be a little more than a quarter inch every day.  Columbus hasn’t even had a single day measurement over a quarter inch since August 17.

If it feels like the chances of that happening are not realistic, that would be correct. The odds of Columbus getting that much rain and exiting the drought is just 0.31%. This is based on the climatological history of the city.

With the expectation that the drought will not end within that time frame, how much rain would need to fall in order to see a tangible improvement? For that to occur there would still need to be at least 4.45 inches of rain. This is also unlikely.

Rain that is forecasted will still help. Realistically speaking, it will not be nearly enough to see improvements in the drought monitor or open burn bans in the near future.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.