Article

In the spring planting season, farmers made a lot of progress due to drier than normal weather throughout the month of May and early June. Now that the 2023 crop is in the ground, they are now hoping for some rain to give early planted crops a drink and later planted seeds a chance to germinate.

“We’re in what we call a blocking ridge pattern,” said Julia Dian-Reed, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, which covers 52 counties in Ohio, northern Kentucky and southwest Indiana. “If you think of high pressure as a bubble, it’s hard for rainfall to penetrate that bubble and if you get in a pattern when high pressure locks in place like we have seen, you’re not going to get rainfall for a long period of time.”

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (pictured above), much of the Buckeye State is rated as “abnormally dry,” but Dian-Reed said some relief could come as early as this weekend.

“The greatest chance of rain will come on Sunday and Monday,” Dian-Reed said. “There may be more chances of rain next week, but it is unlikely that we will catch up to where ‘normal’ is for this time of year.”

Dian-Reed did not see much of an opportunity for a good soaking rain soon. She anticipates about .25″ of rain Sunday into Monday.

Accuracy for rainfall totals become increasingly more difficult as dry conditions continue, according to Dian-Reed.

“The weather model might show participation happening, but if the lower level of the atmosphere is really dry, rainfall will happen but it will evaporate before it reaches the ground,” she explained. “Drought perpetuates drought.”

So just how dry is Ohio this spring? The state is currently experiencing the seventh driest year on record. A measurable rain event in the near future would have a big impact on crops during an important part of the growing season.

Ohio State creates Drought Rapid Response team to provide resources for farmers, growers

Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ Knowledge Exchange, in collaboration with Ohio State University Extension’s Rapid Response Team, has launched an Early Drought Response webpage for Ohio producers. This page serves as a clearinghouse for all the research-based drought information from specialized crop or livestock teams and departments in the CFAES to support Ohio farmers during this potential crisis.

The college’s Rapid Response Team was activated last week, and they’ve been meeting to share resources and updates. They are also working with Aaron Wilson, state climatologist of Ohio and agricultural weather and climate specialist, to share important drought condition maps that will be updated regularly, as needed.