Rain Brought Some Relief, But Still Not Enough

From September 19^th through 25^th, Indiana was fortunate to receive between a quarter inch to almost three inches of precipitation (Figure 1).  This seemed to be a sight for many a sore eye since it had been weeks since any appreciable rain had fallen.  But was this enough for us to get out of drought and return to “normal”?  Not exactly.  Figures 2 and 3 show how these recent events impacted the recent 30-day percent of normal precipitation and the departure from normal amounts across the state.  In other words, most of the state is still in a moisture deficit, with some locations having received almost three inches less precipitation over the past 30-day period than what normally has occurred in that same period, historically.  As a result, the U.S. Drought Monitor continues to show all of Indiana at least Abnormally Dry (D0) with a growing percentage of Moderate (D1), Severe (D2), and even a small area of Extreme (D2) drought areas (Figure 4).

 

 

 

Hurricane Helene is expected to move heavy rain northward toward Indiana, but there is still some uncertainty how far north into the state the impacts will occur.  At this point, there is moderate confidence that southern Indiana should benefit some from this storm, but central and northern Indiana may not see significant amounts.  The seven-day precipitation forecast favors amounts over three inches for counties along the Ohio River, with amounts rapidly decreasing northward (Figure 5).

The 6-to-14-day (October 1-9) climate outlooks favor a return to warmer-than-normal and drier-than-normal conditions across Indiana. Therefore, it would be great if we could somehow maximize as much rain as possible over the next few days to keep water supplies strong.