Drought Conditions Threatening a Return to KY & IN
I have no data on this, but I bet there are two camps with regard to the large amounts of rain western Kentucky and southern Indiana received when what was left of Hurricane Helene stalled over the region last weekend.
In one camp, I imagine a thankful but quiet celebration from those who needed the rain. I'm not sure they needed as much as we got, though. Keep in mind, we'd gone nearly two months without significant precipitation.
In the other camp, I imagine a collective of those who wanted serious fall weather to commence and all that rain literally dampened that anticipation.
Well, it looks like we could be headed back into an extended period during which we will get very little if any of the wet stuff. It also appears as if the temperatures will be normal to slightly above normal. If you're in that second camp, don't groan. Our normal temps for the first half of October are in the low to mid-70s; anything a little north of that won't feel bad at all, especially coupled with the lower humidity.
Ohio Valley Weather Watch has been keeping an eye on the situation:
Perhaps, however, that period of above normal temperatures will be short-lived. This seven-day outlook from the National Weather Service's Paducah office indicates as much:
Still, I don't see any rain in that outlook. Fall IS typically the driest season of the year, but we've already been experiencing drought conditions the last couple of months, the tropical depression notwithstanding.
Fall is the best time of the year, so, in all honesty, I don't MIND what I'm seeing from the NWS. But I'm not crazy about drought conditions that could worsen the longer it goes.