Franklin County exits extreme drought, but some parts of Ohio still exceptionally dry

Ohio’s drought continues to move in a positive direction, even before Thursday’s wet weather.

A new drought map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows extreme drought retreating from Franklin County and an increasing amount of the state’s area experiencing no drought whatsoever.

Franklin County is now experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions, or D1 to D2 on the drought monitor’s scale.

Ohio’s exceptional drought area in southeast Ohio has shrunk and areas in northeast and southwest Ohio experiencing no dryness at all continued to expand on this week’s map.

Additionally, the state’s Drought Severity and Coverage Index score, an overall measure of the state’s drought conditions, is down to 219 from 247 a week prior. A zero on the scale means the state is experiencing no dryness at all while a 500 means the entire state is experiencing exceptional drought.

For comparison, here’s how the state looked at the peak of the drought on Sept. 24.

Columbus rainfall that occurred after Nov. 12 at 8 a.m. will be reflected on next week’s map.

Speaking of rainfall, here’s what you can expect from the weather for the week, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

Columbus weather for the week of Nov. 14, 2024

• Thursday: There will be showers, mainly before 11 a.m. The high will be near 53. Wind gusts up to 24 miles per hour are possible. The chance of precipitation is 80% and between a tenth and a quarter inch of precipitation is possible.
• Thursday Night: There’s a chance of showers, mainly before 9 p.m. It’ll be cloudy with a low around 48. The chance of precipitation is 30% and less than a tenth of an inch of precipitation is expected.
• Friday: It’ll be mostly cloudy with a high near 55.
• Friday Night: It’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 44.
• Saturday: It’ll be partly sunny with a high near 55.
• Saturday Night: It’ll be partly cloudy with a low around 40.
• Sunday: It’ll be partly sunny with a high near 62.
• Sunday Night: It’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 51.
• Monday: It’ll be mostly sunny with a high near 62.
• Monday Night: It’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 46.
• Tuesday: Showers are likely. It’ll be mostly cloudy with a high near 63. The chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Tuesday Night: Showers are likely. It’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 52. There’s a chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Wednesday: There’s a chance of showers. It’ll be mostly cloudy with a high near 60. The chance of precipitation is 40%.

NHart@dispatch.com

@NathanRHart