Two rain events in the past week of 0.10 each combined with much cooler temperatures. The rains did little more than wet the surface and were seperated by days with breezes, low relative humidities, and quick drying rates. I have observed burned patches along interstates and in one yard where grass fires have developed. A large planting of arborvitae is near death near Hilltop concrete in downtown Cincinnati due to the drought. Numerous other plantings are dying or in trouble. Recent weather has slowed worsening of the horticultural effects of the drought and made watering more effective, but by no means have conditions improved. October marks the eleventh of the past 12 months at my location with below normal rainfall. I have heard that the drought is allowing for an earlier harvest in agricultural areas than in recent memory so that would be a silver lining.
The drought beat goes on with little relief
The early week rain gave the appearance of being beneficial, but did little good for much of the area. While rainfall amounted to 0.75 at Loveland, OH, and 0.63 at Goshen, OH, totals quickly tailed off to the south and west with generally a quarter inch or less over much of the metro area. More information here.
The two week forecast is discouraging, with dry conditions and little hope for rain. We are in a severe drought and trees, shrubs, and lawns are hurting. A fire weather watch has been issued for a large part of Indiana. Click here for watering information, rain gauges, and sprinklers.
US Drought Monitor lags behind reality
In my blog article of September 17, 2010, I described the US Drought Monitor’s moving us into the moderate drought category as ” a move which can only be classified as rather late to the ball”. One week later we moved into the severe drought category. Really? We moved from no drought to severe drought in two weeks? As I said last week, ” a move which can only be classified as rather late to the ball”.