CLEVELAND — Parts of Carroll and Columbiana counties got upgraded Thursday to an "extreme drought," marking the return of such conditions across Northeast Ohio for the first time in nearly ten months.
A flash drought is a drought that has a rapid onset, over the course of several weeks, instead of several months. Usually, a drought gradually develops with lower-than-average rainfall over the course of several months to a year or more. This current drought began after some areas had barely seen measurable rain since the end of July, less than two months ago.
The last time an extreme drought was observed anywhere in Northeast Ohio was Nov. 26 of last year, nearly ten months ago. Some of the same areas that saw the worst drought conditions then are seeing the worst right now. Similar weather conditions occurred last fall, particularly in September, with high pressure dominating and providing dry conditions for the majority of the month. That led to worsening drought conditions inland until a wetter pattern took over around Thanksgiving.
Speaking of September, that is the last time Cleveland saw a dry streak as long as what has occurred this month.
Last year, Sept. 9 through 21st saw no measurable rain at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport— a 14-day streak. The current streak sits at 13 days as of the end of Wednesday, and is expected to last through at least Saturday, which would raise the streak to 16 days. The last time there were 16-straight dry days was in 2023, with a whopping 21-day streak without measurable rainfall. That is the third-longest streak ever recorded, which will likely remain safe with rain chances returning by the end of the weekend and early next week.
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