By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Little or no precipitation fell in Kentucky during the past seven days, so the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor issued on Thursday now shows most of the state in at least the moderate drought category.
In the report, the area of no drought in Kentucky has shrunk from 15.32% to 14.09%, all in the southeastern part of the state that received the historic flooding back in July.
“Abnormally Dry,” or D0 on the scale that goes from D0 to D4, has seen its area cut by more than half, from 39.80% last week to 16.04% in the latest report. It includes the Ohio River counties from Trimble to Lawrence, as well as counties adjacent to the no drought counties.
There was a large increase in the “Moderate Drought,” or D1 area, and currently includes 59.41% of Kentucky. That covers includes central and part of northern and northeast Kentucky and is up from 39.58% last week.
The “Severe Drought” area, or D2 has roughly doubled in size over the past seven says, rising from 5.30% to 10.47% in the latest report.
In the Midwest Region, of which Kentucky is considered a part, Adam Hartman with the National Weather Service says, “Most areas, particularly along the Ohio and Middle and Upper Mississippi Valleys, experienced another round of degradation this week. Short-term (30 to 60-day) SPIs are widespread D1-equivalent (moderate drought) or worse across areas seeing degradation. Additionally, topsoil moisture continues to dry out across portions of the Ohio Valley and the Corn Belt.”
The dry conditions have also prompted local officials to declare burn bans in 46 counties as of Thursday afternoon, which forbid any outdoor burning.
Gov. Andy Beshear said, “Kentucky must look at a more regional approach, where we can help regions that are experiencing more drought, with regions that have more water. Certainly, you look at what’s going on in the United States, and Kentucky is right now blessed overall. When we have the Ohio river along our entire northern border, we have a water supply that is just huge. That is a long-term concept that will require a lot of work.”
Little relief is in sight, as there is only a 20-30% chance of rain in the forecast during the period Monday through Wednesday.
The U.S Drought Monitor is produced jointly by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.