Cincinnati, Ohio – Abnormally dry weather is tightening its grip across the Ohio Valley, with moderate drought now showing up in pockets of Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia after four weeks with little rainfall. The change marks a sharp turn from early summer, when most of the region saw steady rains and, in some areas, flooding.
According to the National Weather Service’s Ohio River Forecast Center, conditions shifted quickly between late July and late August. Maps released Thursday highlight large swaths of abnormally dry land, particularly in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky, with some counties now falling into moderate drought status.
In central and southern Ohio, counties including Ross, Pike, and Jackson are seeing stressed farmland and dropping streamflows. Northern Kentucky, including Boone and Kenton counties, is also turning dry, with fields already showing early signs of crop stress. West Virginia’s western counties have also been flagged as dry zones.
The extended stretch of dry weather could impact late-summer crops, water supply, and wildfire risk if rainfall remains limited into September. Residents are urged to conserve water where possible and avoid unnecessary burning outdoors.
Drought monitoring will continue, and forecasters caution that without a shift in the weather pattern, more counties could move from “abnormally dry” into full drought in the coming weeks.
