Moderate Drought Remains In Parts Of Maryland And The Mid Atlantic August 24 2023

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Some areas in central Maryland are experiencing Severe Drought conditions as of today. While there has been some improvement in much of the region, some areas continue with excessively dry conditions by missing out on the bulk of the rain we have had recently.  If you have been in the path of one or a few thunderstorms, consider yourself lucky. Other places have missed out, and the ground is parched!

It has been a while since I reported on the drought, but the problems remain. The last few weeks have brought occasional heavy rain-producing storms. Some areas have received downpours with over one inch of rain, with some places getting over 5 inches at a time.

Maryland Drought Map

A Moderate Drought does remain in central Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay. The hardest hit areas continue to be in Carroll and Frederick Counties between Westminster and Frederick. The worst conditions continue as well for Mount Airy to Germantown.

Maryland has 26% percent in the dry to very dry rating. 

Moderate Drought affecting 16%

Estimated Population in Drought Areas: 1,101,732

Rainfall Measuring In Baltimore

After a widespread drought affected much of the region in spring, the summer months have helped to balance things out and bring us closer to normal. That is at least for the official station at BWI.

Using the reporting station for Baltimore at BWI Airport, we can get a sense of what the region has been experiencing. I compared the monthly observations for precipitation to the average. We can see the only month above average was April.

• Jan -1.40
• Feb -0.72
• Mar -2.52
• Apr +0.73
• May -3.30
• June +0.33
• July + 4.17
• August (23) +0.49”
• TOTAL = -4.03” for the year!

According to the US Drought Monitor:

States vary historically on what the impacts can be. However, here is what can be expected.

• Honey production declines
• Irrigation use increases; hay and grain yields are lower than normal
• Trees and landscaping are stressed; fish are stressed
• Voluntary water conservation is requested; reservoir and lake levels are below normal capacity
• Wildfires and ground fires increase

PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania has improved a lot: Moderate Drought affecting only 1%

Estimated Population in Drought Areas: 100,830

The hardest hit local areas continue to be Adams and part of York Counties.

VIRGINIA

Virginia has 4.8% in Moderate Drought

Estimated Population in Drought Areas: 485,477

Northeast Region:

U.S. Drought Monitor Report

For the week, only minor degradations were made on the map, including in West Virginia, where an area of Moderate Drought (D1) was introduced, as well as expansion of areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) in response to short-term (past 30-day period) rainfall deficits (ranging from 1 to 3 inches) and numerous observed low streamflow levels (<20th percentile).

Elsewhere, minor improvements were made to areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) in western Pennsylvania and western New York, where precipitation has been slightly above normal during the past 60-day period. For the week, average temperatures ranged from 1 to 5 degrees F below normal across most of the region except for areas of Maine, which experienced temperatures 1 to 5+ degrees F above normal. In terms of precipitation for the week, the region was somewhat dry except for some light precipitation accumulations (<1.5 inches) across parts of New England as well as an isolated area in Upstate New York, which received some heavier accumulations (2 to 4 inches).

EARLIER THIS MONTH:  Maryland Trek 10 For These Kids

I will have a follow-up and recap on our amazing week shortly.

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RESTATING MY MESSAGE ABOUT DYSLEXIA

I am aware there are some spelling and grammar typos and occasional other glitches. I take responsibility for my mistakes and even the computer glitches I may miss. I have made a few public statements over the years, but if you are new here, you may have missed it: I have dyslexia, and found out during my second year at Cornell University. It didn’t stop me from getting my meteorology degree and being the first to get the AMS CBM in the Baltimore/Washington region. One of my professors told me that I had made it that far without knowing, and to not let it be a crutch going forward. That was Mark Wysocki, and he was absolutely correct! I do miss my mistakes in my own proofreading. The autocorrect spell check on my computer sometimes does an injustice to make it worse. I also can make mistakes in forecasting. No one is perfect at predicting the future. All of the maps and information are accurate. The ‘wordy’ stuff can get sticky.  There has been no editor who can check my work when I need it and have it ready to send out in a newsworthy timeline. Barbara Werner is a member of the web team that helps me maintain this site. She has taken it upon herself to edit typos when she is available. That could be AFTER you read this. I accept this and perhaps proves what you read is really from me… It’s part of my charm.

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