Latest news with #DroughtMonitor
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Entire county no longer in drought following rain over last several weeks
Frederick County is no longer in a drought as of Thursday, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, following several storms and rain events over the last several weeks. The majority of the county — about 98% — is considered abnormally dry, while a small portion of northern Frederick County is in normal conditions. The current stream flow for multiple streams in the county has also returned to normal or above-normal levels. The Drought Monitor has five drought and dryness categories: abnormally dry, moderate drought, severe drought, extreme drought and exceptional drought. In April, all of Frederick County, as well as most of the state of Maryland, was in a severe drought. Frederick County had been in a drought since Nov. 12, according to Drought Monitor emails, with conditions worsening from moderate drought to severe drought at the end of March. The Maryland Department of the Environment also issued a drought 'warning' — the third level of the department's drought status key — on April 3 for almost the whole state. At that time, the stream flow for multiple streams was much below normal levels. In May, conditions improved in the central, west and north parts of the county from severe to moderate drought. The southern and eastern parts were still in a severe drought. Drought Monitor data released Thursday morning showed the county was entirely out of a drought. In the last 60 days, Frederick County has also gotten above-normal precipitation. The Maryland Department of the Environment's drought status from May 31 still had placed Frederick County under a drought warning. The Department of the Environment's drought status key has four levels: 'normal,' 'watch,' 'warning' and 'emergency.'
CBS News
05-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Philadelphia region no longer under any drought category for 1st time since September 2024
For the first time since September of last year, the Philadelphia area can say that it is no longer in a drought. The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor was released Thursday and revealed that 0% of the area was under moderate drought conditions for the first time since Sept. 10, 2024. This was down from 15% of the region just one week ago. While 20% of the area remains abnormally dry, this classification is not considered to be drought conditions. CBS News Philadelphia Extremely dry conditions settled into the area late last summer, producing one of the driest falls ever recorded in Philadelphia's history. During September, October and November of 2024, only 3.24 inches of rain fell at the Philadelphia International Airport. This was the third driest September-November period ever recorded. October itself ended up being the driest ever on record, with only a trace of rain reported in Philadelphia, which isn't even considered measurable rainfall (0.01 inches or greater). CBS News Philadelphia Into November, drought conditions rapidly spread, with the entire area slipping into a severe drought by the end of the month and remaining there through the first half of December. Some relief was felt in January and February, but it wasn't until March that several rainy patterns developed to steadily alleviate those drought conditions. Since March 1, 2025, Philadelphia International Airport has received 14.41 inches of rain, which is 3.55 inches more than the normal amount for this period. As we head into the hotter months of the year, this reprieve from the drought could be only temporary. CBS News Philadelphia Currently, the Climate Prediction Center forecasts that the region has an equal chance of receiving above- or below-normal precipitation amounts over the next month.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
We just finished a cool, dry May in Chicagoland — with a dust storm, too. What will June bring?
The calendar switched to June 1 on Sunday, officially kicking off the three-month period of meteorological summer — June, July and August. But without the aid of a calendar, Chicagoland residents may have been confused, because it sure didn't feel like summer was coming over the previous couple weeks. Monday forecast: Hazy sunshine, temps rising to the mid-80s in Chicagoland The second part of May was unseasonably cool, and the line of demarcation was a rare dust storm in Chicagoland. Daily highs were very warm at O'Hare International Airport from Monday, May 12, through Friday, May 16, with the mercury soaring to 94 degrees on Thursday, May 15. But after that strange dust storm kicked up on May 16 (see more below), Chicagoland plunged into an unrelenting pattern of cool temps for the rest of May. WGN Weather Page The average high temp for late May is in the mid-70s, but there were only two readings of 70 or above at O'Hare after Saturday, May 17, and those came on two of the final three days of the month. In fact, the high at O'Hare didn't even reach 60 for four consecutive days from Monday, May 19, through Thursday, May 22, bottoming out with a chilly high of 52 on Wednesday, May 21. On our scorecard of temps of 80 or warmer, we've racked up only a handful so far this year at O'Hare, with a few more at Midway International Airport. We will add two more, however, on Monday and Tuesday of this week as June begins. While the end of May was unseasonably cool, it was not unseasonably wet. May is typically our wettest month of the year, with about 4 1/2 inches of rain on average, but we were way behind on that amount — and well behind for the year. Since Jan. 1, we're down by more than 5 inches of precipitation. Some of that has to do with our lack of snowfall this past winter, but we've also just seen a dry May, with only 1 1/3 inches of precipitation, when we usually get more than 4 inches of rain in May. Not surprisingly, all of Chicagoland is under some form of drought at the moment. The USDA's Drought Monitor, released every Thursday, places most of us in the area considered either 'abnormally dry' or 'moderate drought.' But there are far worse drought conditions on the Great Plains as we get deeper into planting season. Perhaps June will ease the drought conditions in Chicagoland, since it's our third-wettest month of the year on average, with about 4.1 inches of rainfall. August is our second-wettest month on average at 4 1/4 inches of rainfall. But May is our wettest month on average, and we just finished a very dry May, so who knows what June and beyond will bring? The dry weather really showed up in a visual way during May that we rarely see around here. On Friday, May 16, strong southerly winds picked up a lot of dirt from non-yet-planted fields in central Illinois and hurled it toward Chicagoland in 60-mph gusts as a dark wall of dust. Former WGN Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling talks about the May 16 dust storm Dust storms are something we see more often downstate, or out in more arid parts of the western U.S. The last time we had a big dust storm in Chicago was more than 30 years ago, and our biggest ever was part of the 'Dust Bowl' atmospheric phenomena in the 1930s, almost a century ago. But that Friday event in May was the first Dust Storm Warning ever issued for the City of Chicago proper. Lake Michigan water temps are on the rise as we begin June. Over Memorial Day weekend, we had our first water temp of 60 this year along the Chicago shore. Since then, however, we've backed those temps off to the mid- to upper 50s. That means the water is still dangerously cold, which is important to keep in mind as you get out and enjoy area beaches during the start of summer. Water colder than 70 degrees can zap a swimmer's energy very rapidly. As air temps warm up significantly Monday and Tuesday this week, make sure to wade into the water and not just jump. And, as always, keep lifejackets on kids anywhere near water. Remember, nearly all drowning deaths are preventable ones. While Monday and Tuesday will be much warmer than average, our extended temperature outlook into the first part of June is at or below average. But that doesn't necessarily mean cold, since the average high is now in the mid-70s. Average high temps later in June climb into the 80s for highs and the 60s for lows. The cooler-than-normal temps that have endured in Chicagoland lately are all part of a really wavy jet stream pattern that seems to have a root cause, in part, in the North Pole vortex that's being knocked again out of the Arctic Circle. This is sloshing colder temps into lower latitudes, where we all live. Get ready to enjoy long days and plenty of sunlight, because the longest days of the year are ahead in June. We're already getting sunsets past 8 p.m., and our longest days of the year happen in the northern hemisphere around the Summer Solstice on June 20. As we get into June with the long days, don't forget the sunscreen! Around lunchtime, all it takes is about 20 minutes on a sunny day to get a sunburn. Climate and Environment news: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Over 3 million in Maryland still facing drought despite recent rain
Despite a recent stretch of rain, large swaths of Maryland remain parched, with over 3 million residents living in areas affected by drought, according to the latest federal Drought Monitor. Parts of Baltimore, Carroll and Harford counties continue to experience unseasonably dry conditions. Liberty Reservoir — a major source of drinking water for the region — has dropped to its lowest level in nearly 20 years, prompting the Baltimore Department of Public Works earlier this month to issue voluntary water restrictions for the city and surrounding counties. Statewide, 43% of Maryland is experiencing moderate drought, while 24.6% is considered abnormally dry, according to drought data released Thursday. Weather experts say several factors are contributing to the drought, including persistent wind patterns and a lackluster winter snowfall. 'This past spring has been windy with prevailing winds from the west and northwest. Any cold fronts tend to lose moisture heading through,' AccuWeather lead long-range expert Paul Pastelok said in an email. 'In addition, it has been a very windy spring and any rain that falls runs off or dries out before it's absorbed. Also, it was not a very snowy winter. Snow in the winter helps the deeper layers of soil stay moist in the spring, and helps with deeper root systems. 12.7 inches of snow fell this winter, compared to the historical average of 19.3 inches.' The impacts of drought conditions are being felt in Baltimore's surrounding areas. In Harford County, 244,826 people are affected by drought conditions. From January through April, the area experienced its fifth driest start to the year in 131 years of monitoring precipitation. Baltimore County is also struggling: From January through April, rainfall totals were 4.39 inches below normal, with last month being the 60th driest April on record over the past 131 years, drought data shows. Over 78% of Carroll County residents are experiencing drought, with January through April ranking the third driest year to date over the past 131 years. In Anne Arundel County, 38% of residents, or 204,365 people, are affected by drought. Relief might be on the horizon, according to Pastelok. 'Late May and June still look active, with more cold fronts and rainfall that could ease drought conditions,' Pastelok said. 'We expect near to slightly above average rainfall this summer. If tropical systems from the Gulf track north, that could quickly boost rainfall totals — though pockets of drought may linger into early summer. Drier weather could return later in the season if those storms miss the region.' Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@ or on X as @ToddKarpovich
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Chicago weather: A cool Memorial Day weekend, but brighter skies expected
CHICAGO - Chilly, moderate drought conditions will continue in the Chicago area until the warmth returns on Friday and the rain returns next week. The latest Drought Monitor came out Thursday morning and unfortunately, the moderate drought conditions have expanded. With little to no rain in the forecast until at least Tuesday of next week, conditions may worsen. Full Forecast Tonight will be chilly with partly cloudy skies and lows in the lower 40s. Friday is expected to be mostly sunny to partly cloudy with highs in the lower 60s for most areas. The weekend looks cool with highs in the low to mid 60s under partly cloudy skies. A few more clouds may roll in on Sunday and Memorial Day Monday, but we should remain dry. Rain showers return on Tuesday with highs in the lower 60s. A slow-warming trend is on tap by the middle of next week with highs likely reaching into the 70s by Thursday. The Source FOX 32's Emily Wahls reported on this story.
