Drought conditions persist in Columbus despite stormy weekend, experts say

Keep an eye out for tumbleweeds.

Despite a stormy weekend and high humidity near the end of July, a large swath of Ohio, including Franklin County, remains in drought conditions, according to a weekly map released by the National Drought Mitigation Center .

From the drought center's July 30 map to the current August 6 map, drought conditions in Franklin County did not change, leaving the entire county in moderate drought conditions and a tiny sliver (8.73%) of southern Franklin County in severe conditions, according to the map.

The state got a bit wetter since the July 30 map; 27.6% of the state's area was not in a drought on July 30, which increased to 32.93% on August 6. The drought-free areas are primarily in north central Ohio and northwest Ohio.

Franklin County's southern neighbor, Pickaway County, is entirely in a severe drought area. Franklin's northern neighbor, Delaware County, currently has a Neapolitan ice cream-like array of drought conditions. A significant southern portion of the county is in a moderate drought, a middle sliver has abnormally dry conditions and a northern chunk of the county has no drought or dry conditions at all.

Columbus' drought is unlikely to improve anytime soon; there's a chance of rain and storms Thursday, but no precipitation is predicted afterward in the National Weather Service's seven-day forecast.

Columbus weather for the week of August 8, 2024

• Thursday : There's a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 p.m. Otherwise, it'll be mostly sunny with a high near 90. The chance of precipitation is 30%. Between a tenth and a quarter inch of rainfall is expected, but more could fall if it storms.
• Thursday night: There's a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10 p.m. It'll be mostly cloudy with a low around 70. The chance of precipitation is 30%. Between a tenth and a quarter inch of rainfall is expected, but more could fall if it storms.
• Friday: It'll be mostly sunny with a high near 85.
• Friday Night : It'll be mostly clear with a low around 58.
• Saturday: It'll be sunny with a high near 78.
• Saturday Night : It'll be mostly clear with a low around 56.
• Sunday : It'll be sunny with a high near 80.
• Sunday Night: It'll be mostly clear with a low around 58.
• Monday: It'll be sunny with a high near 83.
• Monday Night : It'll be partly cloudy with a low around 60.
• Tuesday : It'll be mostly sunny with a high near 84.
• Tuesday Night : It'll be partly cloudy with a low around 62.
• Wednesday : It'll be mostly sunny with a high near 85.

NHart@dispatch.com

@NathanRHart

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Drought conditions persist in Columbus despite stormy weekend, experts say