INDIANAPOLIS – We have wrapped up Meteorological Summer in a rainfall deficit. Meteorologists begin Meteorological Summer on June 1 and Meteorological Fall on September 1 to keep records consistent. With that in mind, let’s talk about how we faired this summer in terms of rainfall and how that has impacted our drought this week.
Indiana drought conditions have slightly worsened over the last week. For the summer months, we picked up 8.72″, 3.85″ below where should have been for the summer months.
Abnormally dry conditions increased from 34% to 45% coverage across the state.
What does this mean? Each category means there will likely be different impacts from different factors around the state. “Abnormally dry” usually means the grass will turn brown, gardens will need to be watered more frequently, and crops are stressed. Once we hit the “Moderate” drought stage, there are more noticeable changes. Crops become more stressed, your lawn needs to be watered more often, and water levels begin to decrease.
The higher up the scale the drought goes, the more severe the impacts will be to crops, your lawn, and water levels. As we continue to climb the scale on the drought monitor, more dangerous conditions also begin to set up, causing concern for fire.
June and July were short compared to the average rainfall totals for the month. June wrapped up the 8th driest June on record. August came out with a surplus of rainfall.
