'Flash drought': Could one be developing in northwest Ohio?
These types of droughts last a season or less which is very short compared to a traditional drought that can last for years or longer.
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Chapter 1 Driest May on record
This has been one of the driest months of May on record in Toledo history. The last few days before June will hold little to no chance to change the fact this has been the driest May since the Dust Bowl era. It has rained only eight days this month, totaling less than one inch with five of those days receiving rainfall of less than a tenth of an inch.
Dry weather this time of the year is tricky because we need stretches of dry weather to allow for fields to get planted and outdoor work to get done. But long, very dry stretches like this can tip the balance too far, stunting crop growth.
Chapter 2 Where is the rain?
May is our wettest month of the year annually with an average of nearly four inches of rainfall. That means we have lost three inches of rain, compared to normal, in just the past few weeks. Combine that with an April that fell short on rainfall by over an inch, as well, and we are over four inches low on rainfall in just the past two months.
Chapter 3 What is a flash drought?
This type of quick-hitting dry stretch during a normally wet time of the year will remind some of another recent summer. In 2012, a ‘flash drought’ developed across the Midwest that severely slowed crop development. A flash drought is exactly what it sounds like, a drought that is generally short lived but severe in nature during the critical growing season. These types of droughts last a season or less which is very short compared to a traditional drought that can last for years or longer.
The lack of rainfall lately is why the Climate Prediction Center with NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration) has highlighted parts of southern Illinois, Indiana and Ohio as an enhanced risk for developing this flash drought scenario. There are signs that a pattern turns around in June that will lead to more rainfall, but those details have yet to become clearer on exact timing for rain. Until moisture can return in a meaningful amount and the jet stream pushes the storm pattern back our way, the dry weather will continue.
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