News 5 Cleveland WEWS

Drought persists, but there are some much-needed rain chances ahead

By Katie McGraw,

3 days ago

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Drought continues to plague Northeast Ohio after months of below-average rainfall. However, we are expecting rounds of rain over the next three days.

Drought has worsened slightly over the last week across Northeast Ohio, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The U.S. Drought Monitor is a map released every Thursday (with data from Tuesday to Tuesday). It tracks drought across the U.S. Using five classifications: Abnormally dry (D0), which shows areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: Moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4).

The weekly update to the United States Drought Monitor was issued on Thursday morning, and there have been only subtle changes across our viewing area and region over the last week.

Compare the two graphics below. They show the update from last week (July 22) to this week (July 30). Moderate drought spread into southern Ashtabula and northern Trumbull Counties, as well as eastern Holmes, much of Tuscarawas, and Carroll Counties. While it is a subtle difference, we hope to see big improvements rather than a slightly worsening drought.

LAST WEEK

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THIS WEEK

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As of July 30th, 72% of Ohio is experiencing drought conditions, including nearly 40% of Ohio dealing with moderate drought and about 14% experiencing severe drought. Twenty-seven percent of the state is not experiencing drought, mostly in NW Ohio. Thankfully, our viewing area/NEO has no severe or extreme drought yet.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, there are reports of crop stress and pasture issues resulting in some areas in southeast Ohio having to haul in water. Southeast Ohio has been in severe drought for a few weeks, and it has spread into more communities. The worst of the drought is to the southeast of Ohio across portions of West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. This is where an extreme drought is ongoing.

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The good news is that there are some decent rain/storm chances over the next three days that could be beneficial for the area. Storms look to increase in coverage this evening and into tonight. Some showers will linger into early on Friday. Additional scattered showers and storms are also expected Friday afternoon and evening. These will be hit or miss, but any storm could pack a punch with heavy rain and lightning. We will be monitoring for strong to severe storms tonight and Friday. Heavy rain could lead to localized flooding, especially with slow-moving storms. There could also be isolated damaging wind gusts and frequent lightning, and the potential for isolated tornadoes is not off the table either.

When all is said and done, many of us will likely receive at least some rain. However, there will likely be a large range of rainfall totals. Some communities could end up receiving very little or no rain (less than a quarter of an inch of rain), but on the high side of the spectrum, there could be some folks that pick up 1-2 inches or more! In fact, some areas may see too much rain too fast and experience flooding or there could be some communities hit with repeated rounds of heavy rain.

Scroll through the images of Futurecast to get an idea about the timing and coverage of storms over the next day. Remember to always have a safe place when there are storms. Any storm can be dangerous due to the presence of lightning. When thunder roars, get indoors! We will keep you posted on the severe potential on-air and online. Stay safe!