The most intense drought conditions recorded in Ohio are forecast to worsen in September

For the first time in Ohio history, portions of the state were upgraded Thursday to the most severe designation on the U.S. Drought Monitor intensity scale .

Of the Buckeye State's 88 counties, 79 are affected by some level of drought, ranging from D0 Abnormally Dry to D4 Exceptional Drought.

Athens and Meigs counties in Southeastern Ohio are the worst, D4, with 23 more counties registering as D3.

"This drought monitor map was introduced in the year 2000," said Rick Garuckas, a meteorologist with the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service. "This is the first time in the 25 years that map has been around that we've had D4 in the state."

'Lack of rainfall has been the number one cause of drought'

The parched conditions have lingered statewide for months, irritating lawns and threatening crops.

The year began with a promising look for farmers when heavy rains throughout the first half of April saturated most of Ohio's fields. But then, the heavens closed.

"The rainfall has been feast or famine this summer," Garuckas said. "We've had scattered thunderstorms, some of which can produce very heavy rainfall, but there's been other areas that have missed out and they've been dry."

May and June statewide brought below average rainfall. The summer started with normal temperatures.

"You might remember the third week of June we had our most notable heat wave of the summer," Garuckas said. "We had six consecutive days of temperatures that were above 90 degrees."

That high heat caused a good portion of the state's remaining soil moisture to evaporate.

July's temperatures were average, but the rainfall remained spotty.

"August has been warmer than July, especially in the past week," Garuckas said. "We've had temperatures that have gotten up into the mid 90s."

Fortunately, when considered as a whole, this summer has been only a degree or two above average.

"For this particular year, just the lack of rainfall has been the number one cause of drought," Garuckas said.

'It makes you want to pull your hair out'

Every day without rain piles on more concern for farmers affected by the drought.

Sam Slater, whose family has tilled land in southern Licking County for five generations, admitted to the Reporting Project at Denison University that this year's drought makes the future look challenging.

"We put all of this out as a gamble and hope mother nature is good to us," Slater said. "Sometimes it makes you want to pull your hair out."

His family farms about 3,500 acres in corn and soybeans. The rainfall difference across those acres has varied as much as 5 inches this summer, which he fears will lead to below-average yields.

Although some areas are experiencing the most intense drought recorded in the state's history, Ohio overall has seen worse widespread droughts before.

"In 2016 was the last time we had extreme droughts," Garuckas said. "That extreme drought was really from Southeast Ohio, where it is now, but also a little further north into in the parts of East Central Ohio."

And in 2012, the entire western half of Ohio saw prolonged dry periods.

"It was a really bad year in 2012 for the Plains and the Midwest," Garuckas said. "The Ohio Valley and Great Lakes were on the eastern edge of that drought that year."

Drought conditions could expand and increase through September

The state will get some reprieve once the calendar flips to September, thanks to nighttime lows that will fall into the low 50s.

"Temperatures over the next eight-14 days are going to average around the normal, with even some below normal temperatures for the first six-10 days," Garuckas said.

The cooler weather will keep evaporation to a minimum, helping crops as they finish out their growing period.

Rainfall, unfortunately, is not forecast to increase anytime soon.

"It does not look like a wet pattern at all," Garuckas said. "It looks like it leans more towards a a dry pattern."

Meteorologists predict the drought will expand throughout Ohio, with the severity increasing areas already under drought conditions.

"You're probably going to hang on to the extreme and exceptional drought in the southeast part of the state," Garuckas said. "The northern areas may see a little bit of an expansion of the moderate drought that we currently see in Northwest Ohio."

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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: The most intense drought conditions recorded in Ohio are forecast to worsen in September