This drought map is for September 10th, 2024.
The Columbus area saw very little rain over the summer, and that trend has continued this September. This severe drought is affecting other parts of the state as well. How does the current dry period compare to other droughts historically, though?
Top 10 Longest Periods with No Measurable Precipitation, in Total Days
1. 9/13/1963-10/30/1963: 48
2. 9/2/1908-9/27/1908, 8/23/1964-9/17/1964: 26
3. 10/6/1924-10/30/1924: 25
4. 10/30/1917-11/22/1917: 24
5. 9/18/1897-10/10/1897, 9/23/1957-10/15/1957, 8/31/1985-9/22/1985: 23
6. 10/11/1952-11/11/1952, 8/24/2002-9/14/2002: 22
7. 5/1/1903-5/21/1903, 9/30/1934-10/20/1934, 5/21/2023-6/10/2023: 21
8. 8/21/1925-9/9/1925, 9/23/1938-10/12/1938, 9/11/1941-9/30/1941, 8/7/1951-8/26/1951, 11/1/1976-11/20/1976, 3/11/1999-3/30/1999, 9/15/2017-10/4/2017: 20
9. 7/5/1884-7/23/1884, 8/23/1887-9/10/1887, 10/16/1903-11/3/1903, 3/1/1910-3/19/1910, 9/8/1917-9/26/1917, 10/13/1927-10/31/1927, 8/22/1938-9/9/1938, 4/21/1980-5/9/1980: 19
10. 11/5/1884-11/22/1884, 9/15/1885-10/2/1885, 10/1/1920-10/18/1920, 8/6/1928-8/23/1928, 6/24/1944-7/11/1944, 5/18/1948-6/4/1948, 10/6/1953-10/23/1953, 8/23/1955-9/9/1955, 6/2/1994-6/19/1994, 6/25/1996-7/12/1996, 9/12/2014-9/29/2014, 9/2/2019-9/19/2019: 18
2024’s longest period without measurable precipitation was 17 days, from 6/6/2024 to 6/22/2024.
However, having no precipitation at all for a significant period of time is relatively rare, and the formation of a drought usually occurs just because of low precipitation, not just no precipitation. And that’s certainly the case for 2024.
The Summer of 2024 produced the 3rd lowest precipitation amount since reliable records began in 1879, with only the Dust Bowl years of 1930 and 1933 having slightly less. The 5.07″ that fell between June and August is extremely low. June’s precipitation was 6th lowest, July’s was a bit better at 16th lowest, and August’s was better still at 29th lowest. No month, though, saw 2″ or more, and the summer precipitation deficit was 7.68″ below normal, or less than 40% of normal.
September is starting off dry as well. It’s already more than an inch below normal through the 11th, and there hasn’t been a single day with 0.1″ or more since August 18th. The forecast doesn’t show much hope, either. No rain- not even a small chance of it- is currently predicted through September 18th. If this pattern continues long enough, reservoirs may become dangerously low.
For Franklin County specifically, as of September 10th, 100% of the county is in the classification of Severe Drought, and 66.4% is classified as being in Extreme Drought.
