LizardMafia Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I'm a little surprised that extreme conditions remained in that area of northern Indiana. Quite a bit of rainfall in those areas in the last week. Exceptional drought takes a big leap, now up to 18.7% in Indiana. Wow. Looking pretty ugly. Though not surprised at the jump in exceptional. Ended up with just .06 or rain here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Looking pretty ugly. Though not surprised at the jump in exceptional. Ended up with just .06 or rain here. Ugly indeed. Starting to get that sense that today's fropa is going to be completely dry here in LAF. Maybe looks a little better south and east of here...not that it'll be of much help. Granted this is one day past the cut off date, which is 7:00am Tuesday, but my reasoning for being surprised at northern Indiana areas not showing any improvement. Fairly good sized area of 1.50"+ totals in that part of the state in the last 7 days, ending the morning of the 25th. Alas, they certainly know more than I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoar_Frost Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I'm surprised at this new update/map this morning. Thought for sure that the D3 conditions would retreat further north in WI. Have had 3.6" of rain in the last week here! ~ Hasn't gotten any worse here so that's good. Edit: Of course some of the rain fell after the data cut off point. Next update should some improvement over NE Iowa and parts of southern WI - probably central MI too. You may have had 3.60" in your backyard, but how widespread were such generous amounts? Also, it is important to remember that the Drought Monitor only considers down to approximately the county level. Looking at CoCoRaHS reports for Lake County, I see that most stations had 1.5-2.5 inches during the relevant period, with a few stations just lower than that range and a few more higher than that range. Indeed, it appears that your total of 3.60" would rank among the highest values in the county. It is also noteworthy that your area, along with much of the far northern tier of Illinois, was far worse off than other surrounding areas to the south closer to Chicago before last Wednesday evening's storms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpartyOn Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I'm surprised at this new update/map this morning. Thought for sure that the D3 conditions would retreat further north in WI. Have had 3.6" of rain in the last week here! ~ Hasn't gotten any worse here so that's good. Edit: Of course some of the rain fell after the data cut off point. Next update should some improvement over NE Iowa and parts of southern WI - probably central MI too. The sad part is that the damage is done. It can rain from here on out and it wont save the corn or most of the soy beans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizardMafia Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Ugly indeed. Starting to get that sense that today's fropa is going to be completely dry here in LAF. Maybe looks a little better south and east of here...not that it'll be of much help. Granted this is one day past the cut off date, which is 7:00am Tuesday, but my reasoning for being surprised at northern Indiana areas not showing any improvement. Fairly good sized area of 1.50"+ totals in that part of the state in the last 7 days, ending the morning of the 25th. Alas, they certainly know more than I do. I sure hope we get some rain from this FROPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 IL had a huge jump in D3-D4. It went from 8.28% last week to 70.80% this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago Storm Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Picked up 0.06" of rain last night/this morning. 1.62" of rain since last Wed evening. It really hasn't done much though...Shaded areas have greened up a bit, but areas that receive partial to full sun are still dried out. Monthly precip total stands at 1.87" Haven't had to cut the lawn since June. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Ugly indeed. Starting to get that sense that today's fropa is going to be completely dry here in LAF. Maybe looks a little better south and east of here...not that it'll be of much help. Granted this is one day past the cut off date, which is 7:00am Tuesday, but my reasoning for being surprised at northern Indiana areas not showing any improvement. Fairly good sized area of 1.50"+ totals in that part of the state in the last 7 days, ending the morning of the 25th. Alas, they certainly know more than I do. I'm not sure if there's a way to factor in how quickly the rain fell, but a lot of it fell quickly and probably didn't get absorbed very well. Most areas need 1+ inch of rain per week just to keep up with averages. You'd probably need double or triple that on a widespread basis to even think about making progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizardMafia Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I'm not sure if there's a way to factor in how quickly the rain fell, but a lot of it fell quickly and probably didn't get absorbed very well. Most areas need 1+ inch of rain per week just to keep up with averages. You'd probably need double or triple that on a widespread basis to even think about making progress. They did mention that the hot temps negated the effects of the rainfall. So basically we need a lot of rain and cooler temps to start having an effect on the drought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chambana Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 No rain here in champaign-urbana they have been advertising rain the past 2 days, line of storms quickly diminished as it crossed the state line. Models have the heat once again building back up middle next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geos Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 You may have had 3.60" in your backyard, but how widespread were such generous amounts? Also, it is important to remember that the Drought Monitor only considers down to approximately the county level. Looking at CoCoRaHS reports for Lake County, I see that most stations had 1.5-2.5 inches during the relevant period, with a few stations just lower than that range and a few more higher than that range. Indeed, it appears that your total of 3.60" would rank among the highest values in the county. It is also noteworthy that your area, along with much of the far northern tier of Illinois, was far worse off than other surrounding areas to the south closer to Chicago before last Wednesday evening's storms. Correction: 3.32" in the last 8 days. (3.8" for the month) If the monitor goes by county enumeration unit that would explain the unchanged drought conditions. Although Lake and Kenosha counties got generous rainfall in the last week - somewhat widespread by the looks of that map above . I was figuring the drought monitor would use a grid, to pick up on more detail within county level. Doesn't even look like a drought is going on anymore. Had to cut the grass this past Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ajdos Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Had a good 4-6" of rainfall here in Sterling Heights, Mi over the last couple of weeks...Very green out there. What drought? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I'm not sure if there's a way to factor in how quickly the rain fell, but a lot of it fell quickly and probably didn't get absorbed very well. Most areas need 1+ inch of rain per week just to keep up with averages. You'd probably need double or triple that on a widespread basis to even think about making progress. Well, how much rainfall in summer doesn't fall "quickly"? Not to be dense. No matter, it would takes weeks of widespread 1.50"+ rainfalls to truly bust this drought. That's not looking to happen anytime soon of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Well, how much rainfall in summer doesn't fall "quickly"? Not to be dense. No matter, it would takes weeks of widespread 1.50"+ rainfalls to truly bust this drought. That's not looking to happen anytime soon of course. That's why it's so hard to bust out at this time of year. Not impossible but usually have to wait until September or later to make significant/widespread progress with the combination of lessening heat and more evenly distributed precip. Probably heading for a diminished fall foliage season in a lot of areas. I saw some pics of trees in central/southern IN not long ago, and the trees were already turning brown/yellow/red. I would've thought it was September or October based on the pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Probably heading for a diminished fall foliage season in a lot of areas. I saw some pics of trees in central/southern IN not long ago, and the trees were already turning brown/yellow/red. I would've thought it was September or October based on the pics. I've seen it here on a few of the younger trees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LakeEffectOH Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 The lakeshore area of NE Ohio is not doing well at all. At this time, (although drought map doesn't show it) the lakeshore area (Cuyahoga, Lake & Elyria counties) is one of the driest areas in Ohio. Rain, for the most part, keeps missing the area due to the lake breeze boundary that sets up just south and east of the area. A lot of the big maple trees are dying and most of the grass is just burnt up. Points further south and east have greened up nicely because of their better luck in the rainfall dept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Is 2012 a drought hall of fame contender? http://farmfutures.com/story.aspx/2012-drought-hall-fame-contender-17/61862 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormtrackertf Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Had a good 4-6" of rainfall here in Sterling Heights, Mi over the last couple of weeks...Very green out there. What drought? This image says it all for us folks south of 8 Mile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Here is some info about how they classify: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/classify.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Another take on the Indiana portion of the drought. Here are the approximate number of square miles in each drought category. Total square mileage for the state varies a bit depending on the source so these are only estimates. Notice the huge jump in area that went from D3 to D4. This week: D0: 149 sq mi D1: 4502 sq mi D2: 10736 sq mi D3: 14233 sq mi D4: 6800 sq mi Last week: D0: 219 sq mi D1: 4502 sq mi D2: 12175 sq mi D3: 19346 sq mi D4: 178 sq mi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Looks like little to no chance for any rainfall the rest of the month for Indianapolis. Thus they will demolish the previous record for the driest June-July. 0.77" in 2012 (through July 26) 2.45" in 1930 2.78" in 1940 3.08" in 1991 3.41" in 1967 3.55" in 1954 3.58" in 1936 3.66" in 1922 3.67" in 1908 3.85" in 1893 3.86" in 1887 And looking ahead, considering hot and dry looks to continue for the foreseeable future, the driest summer on record is a real threat. Top 5 driest below... 4.46" in 1893 4.53" in 1930 5.30" in 1966 5.34" in 1908 5.69" in 1940 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 This is kinda interesting. Drought unearths formerly submerged town. http://www.indystar....LOCAL/207210339 Now available, supervised tours of this "lost" city. http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/living_green/supervised-tours-set-for-underwater-city-site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWXwx Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Now available, supervised tours of this "lost" city. http://www.wlfi.com/...water-city-site I have been loling about this ever since it first came out. Salamonie is a flood control reservoir operated by the Army Corp of Engineers. It has been about 14 ft. below summer pool this year. However, they drop it to 25' below summer pool every year from late October until mid April for spring rain capacity. So the "lost city" is exposed for almost 6 months a year. The reason that this has not been publicized before is that most people don't visit the area from early fall until mid spring. I have walked the banks of the lake many times in the fall to crappie fish. I have a friend who finds arrowheads exposed when the water level drops and I find more than a few dollars worth of fishing lures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I have been loling about this ever since it first came out. Salamonie is a flood control reservoir operated by the Army Corp of Engineers. It has been about 14 ft. below summer pool this year. However, they drop it to 25' below summer pool every year from late October until mid April for spring rain capacity. So the "lost city" is exposed for almost 6 months a year. The reason that this has not been publicized before is that most people don't visit the area from early fall until mid spring. I have walked the banks of the lake many times in the fall to crappie fish. I have a friend who finds arrowheads exposed when the water level drops and I find more than a few dollars worth of fishing lures. lol, wow. Thanks for the info. What a sham...stupid media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geos Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 2 week rainfall numbers Skilling aired tonight: South Bend 5.30" (283%) Midway 3.67" (198%) ORD 3.19" (187%) Milwaukee 2.71" (167%) Romeoville 1.77" (85%) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 July 2012 total rainfall and departures to date in Indiana, from highest total rainfall to lowest, through yesterday. South Bend: 6.03" +2.68" North Webster IWX: 4.26" +0.78" Fort Wayne: 3.89" +0.31" Valparaiso: 3.57" -0.11" Goshen: 3.52" +0.11" Evansville: 2.33" -1.03" Muncie: 1.94" -1.82" Bloomington: 1.15" -3.25" Lafayette: 0.91" -2.52" Indianapolis: 0.68" -3.25" Shelbyville: 0.62" -3.40" Terre Haute: 0.45" -3.71" Ind Eagle Creek: 0.18" -3.60" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizardMafia Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Looks like we have an early opportunity at a bit of rain today.. A few showers just about to cross over into Indiana.. Walking through the neighborhood this morning, I didn't realize just how many trees have leaves turning and dropping off. Had to think to myself, is it only the end of July? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Looks like we have an early opportunity at a bit of rain today.. A few showers just about to cross over into Indiana.. Walking through the neighborhood this morning, I didn't realize just how many trees have leaves turning and dropping off. Had to think to myself, is it only the end of July? It's going to be awesome watching the cells over eastern IL dissipate as they approach and/or move north or south of Lafayette. Good luck down there today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddylonglegs Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 The drought has been good for one thing...I've never had such good tasting tomatoes... Been picking for a few weeks now and they've been excellent. Have a lot of peppers too. I've probably only watered my tomatoes twice during the heat wave...I just keep them weed free and mulched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizardMafia Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 It's going to be awesome watching the cells over eastern IL dissipate as they approach and/or move north or south of Lafayette. Good luck down there today. I think our chances are between slim and none. HRRR isn't showing much to get excited about either, maybe a .10" if we are lucky.. Almost a bit depressing that any opportunity just seems dry up as it crosses Indiana, then magically reappears as it exits the state.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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