Frost in the forecast but Ohio's drought persists. Are dry conditions better or worse?
Ohio's ongoing drought lessened slightly over the past 10 days, releasing its grip on some portions of the state, according to newly released data from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Over 17% of Ohio is experiencing no dryness whatsoever, an almost 3% increase from the monitor's Oct. 3 map. The areas free of drought are located in northeast, south-central and southwest Ohio, according to the map.
Drought levels D0 through D2, which range from "abnormally dry" to "severe drought," diminished slightly over the past week, each losing a few percentage points of the state's area.
Meanwhile, extreme drought, or D3 on the drought scale, increased by around 2% as it took over a small chunk of northwest Ohio.
The percentage of Ohio in exceptional drought, or D4, the worst possible drought conditions, stayed steady at 7.99% of the state's area. These conditions exist in southeast Ohio.
An immediate remedy to Ohio's drought isn't in sight; there's only a small amount of rain in Columbus' forecast for the next week.
Winter weather: NOAA's 2024-25 winter forecast is here. Maps show what to expect in Ohio
Columbus weather for the week of Oct. 10, 2024
Thursday: It'll be sunny with a high near 69.
Thursday night: It'll be clear with a low around 40.
Friday: It'll be sunny with a high near 74.
Friday Night: It'll be mostly clear with a low around 51.
Saturday: It'll be mostly sunny with a high near 75.
Saturday Night: There's a chance of showers. It'll be mostly cloudy with a low around 57. The chance of precipitation is 50%. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected.
Sunday: There's a chance of showers. It'll be partly sunny with a high near 75. The chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday Night: It'll be partly cloudy with a low around 46.
Monday: It'll be partly sunny with a high near 58.
Monday Night: It'll be partly cloudy with a low around 39.
Tuesday: It'll be mostly sunny with a high near 57.
Tuesday Night: It'll be mostly clear with a low around 39.
Wednesday: It'll be mostly sunny with a high near 59.
More: First frost forecast of fall 2024 for parts of Ohio, NWS says
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Is Ohio still in a drought as temperatures cool and frost is forecast?