Kentucky's ongoing battle with dry conditions persists as parts of the state experience worsening drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report.
Although there has been a fractional improvement in the percentage of states without drought, certain areas in the west have seen conditions deteriorate. The report shows that the region categorized as having no drought has increased from 66.33% to 66.89% since the previous week.
Meanwhile, the portion of Kentucky labeled as "Abnormally Dry" has decreased from 22.47% to 20.04%, mainly due to degraded conditions in specific locations.
The presence of "Moderate Drought" (D1) has slightly grown from 11.20% to 11.39% over the past week, predominantly affecting parts of northern and western Kentucky.
Additionally, for the first time this year, a D2 area has been identified, encompassing all or parts of five counties in the far west: Ballard, Crittenden, Livingston, McCracken, and Union.
The report, which records conditions until Tuesday each week and releases the data on Thursday, aligns with observations made across the Midwest Region by Richard Tinker of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The region has witnessed more deterioration than improvement in rainfall totals.
Looking ahead, the Climate Prediction Center indicates that Kentucky can expect slightly above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipitation until July 22.
Subsequently, the outlook for July 26 suggests near-normal to slightly above-normal temperatures accompanied by slightly above-normal rainfall. Despite the slight improvement in drought conditions, Kentucky remains challenged by persistent dryness.
The U.S. Drought Monitor, a collaborative effort between the National Drought Mitigation Center, the United States Department of Agriculture, and NOAA, provides regular updates on the state of drought across the country.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-banksphotos
Categories: Kentucky, Weather