Ohio’s drought conditions worsen again; cold and rain may be the only answer to get out of it

CLEVELAND, Ohio – It’s going to take more than a little bit of rain to get Greater Cleveland and the rest of the state of Ohio out of lingering drought conditions that have reached historic levels in southern Ohio.

On Sunday, Cleveland got its first dose of rain in two weeks, followed by more rain the next three days, including some heavy rainfall in some areas.

Yet the weekly update on drought conditions released on Thursday, based on data through Tuesday, showed most of Greater Cleveland still in dry conditions and worsening drought in the rest of Ohio, with the southern and central counties still the most affected.

So what is the cure for this drought? The gloomy weather Northeast Ohioians are all too familiar with.

First, consistent rain, says state climatologist Aaron Wilson.

It would be easy to think that a couple of days of heavy rainfall would help solve the problem, but at this point, the soil is so dry that it would result in flash floods.

Instead, “a sustained pattern of near or above precipitation” is needed over several weeks, Wilson said. This would give the soil time to absorb the rain every day and slowly raise river and lake levels.

The other necessity is for shorter days, which are on the way with sunset creeping earlier each day. Nighttime is usually the coolest time of the day, which is important to keep moisture in the ground. Hot temperatures cause evaporation, drying out the topsoil, while a longer night gives the earth a longer chance of recovery.

The good news is that this week, at least in Northeast Ohio, the wheels seem to be set in motion for some reversal. More rain is forecasted every day until Tuesday. And by the end of next week, sunset will be before 7 p.m.

But right now, drought conditions are covering 87.7% of Ohio, up slightly from 87.45% a week ago, with an estimated 8.3 million Ohioans in affected areas.

Here’s a closer look at where things stand.

Northern Ohio

Severe drought has once again touched Greater Cleveland.

A portion of Portage County is now under severe drought after a moderate drought touched the county just a week earlier.

Under severe drought, creeks dry up, crops suffer, soil is dry and cracked, trees lose their leaves and chances of fires increase.

Dry conditions have remained unchanged in most Greater Cleveland counties, with only Lake County and parts of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga and Geauga counties without any dry conditions whatsoever. This is the only instance of normal conditions in the entire state.

In the Northwest, severe drought conditions continue to affect the 11 counties of Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Williams and Wood. Most, if not all, of the remainder of the counties in Northwest Ohio are in a moderate drought.

When an area enters moderate drought, small brush fires can occur, water restrictions may be requested, hay and fruit yield can be low and fewer mosquitos are observed than usual. For areas that are abnormally dry, crop growth suffers and water levels decline.

Southern Ohio

Exceptional drought conditions, the highest classification of drought, have continued to spread slowly in southern Ohio counties.

The exceptional drought now affects more than two dozen counties, making up 12.6% of drought conditions in Ohio, breaking last week’s record of 9.52%.

The U.S. Drought Monitor does not have historical instances to determine what usually happens in an exceptional drought because it is the first occurrence in Ohio in the 21st century.

However, Wilson says that the “damage is done” when it comes to the effects of the drought on plants. The crops that are typically harvested during this time will be lost. Additionally, there is a chance that instead of leaves and plants becoming dormant for winter, they will instead burn out and die.

As of the most recent drought summary, 93% of pastures in Ohio are rated poor to very poor.

But if drought starts to turn around now, there is still some hope for winter growth, such as hay. Additionally, livestock farmers can end up hauling in water for their animals, an expensive alternative to natural rainwater.

That would mean that extreme drought would have to stop spreading westward. It now has created a band across Ohio from Hamilton County to the eastern border of the state, putting 23.15% of the state in extreme drought, higher than last week’s 20.53%. This is also the highest share of Ohio affected by extreme drought in recorded history.

The Ohio State Fire Marshal has issued an order banning open burning in counties affected by extreme or exceptional drought, including campfires, fireworks and even throwing away a lit cigarette.

Once areas enter extreme drought, lawns go dormant, crop yields are minimal, soybeans dry up and supplemental hay for livestock becomes necessary.

Besides appearing in the Northwest of Ohio, severe drought conditions have also continued pushing north, reaching as high as Trumbull County. It now affects 28.55% of the state, up from 8.21% the week before.

Finally, moderate drought has also consumed all but parts of 18 counties in Ohio. Together with the spreading moderate drought in the north, 23.38% of the state is in a moderate drought.

A unique situation

While heavy rain helped relieve some drought conditions in the Midwest, Ohio still remains the most affected in the region and in the entire country.

Four states have levels of exceptional drought, but Ohio has the largest share of a state affected. Along with a similar record-breaking drought in West Virginia, Ohio is also currently part of the largest concentration of extreme drought.

Is this the worst drought in Ohio’s history? Wilson is unsure, though he thinks it will shape up to be “one of the most impactful.”

Economically, the impact won’t be accurately measured for years. For instance, farmers who planted evergreen firs, spruce and pine tree seeds to eventually be sold as Christmas trees lost all of their seeds during the drought. But those trees would have been sold seven to ten years from now and will only show economic impact then.

Agriculturally, it is also too early to tell. Other droughts in Ohio’s history have resulted in nearly half of crops being lost. During those years, droughts began earlier in the growing season, more severely affecting growth than a drought during the harvest season. But final numbers won’t be reported until the end of the growing cycle.

But no matter the outcome, Wilson says one thing is true.

“Farm stress is high.”

What were the drought conditions a month ago?

A month ago, the first instances of severe drought appeared in central and eastern Ohio. Additionally, severe drought continued in southern Ohio, the fifth week of those conditions in the state. Abnormal dryness continued to lessen in Northeast Ohio, but spread in Northwest Ohio. Exceptional drought had not yet set in.

Zachary Smith is the data reporter for cleveland.com. You can reach him at [email protected].