By Tom Latek

Kentucky Today

 

The precipitation of the past week means Kentucky is drought free, according to the weekly U.S Drought Monitor that was issued on Thursday, based on precipitation that accumulated through Tuesday morning.

It was just one week ago that the Drought Monitor reported there was still 22.18 percent of the state that was considered “Abnormally Dry,” or D0 on the scale that goes up to D4 indicating “Exceptional Drought.” However, that area has now been wiped out due to precipitation over the past seven days.

This is also the first time that Kentucky has been 100 percent drought-free since May 9, 2023, according to Shane Holinde, the Outreach Manager of the Kentucky Mesonet and Climate Center, located at Western Kentucky University.

Looking ahead, the outlook from Feb. 20-24 from the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center calls for above-normal temperatures in Kentucky, along with near-normal precipitation in the northern half of the state and slightly below normal in the southern half. For the period ending Feb. 28, the forecast is for continued above-normal temperatures and slightly above-normal precipitation.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is produced through a partnership between the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U. S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.