BUFFALO, N.Y. — After a wet start to the summer months with over two inches of rain falling within the first 10 days of June, the pattern shift that followed has been quite the opposite.
Only 0.6 inches of rain has fallen within the past four weeks in Buffalo, and the ground and soil is starting to show it. In fact, the climatological norm for daily rainfall in the summer months is around a tenth of an inch. There have been only nine days since June 1 that have reached or exceeded that mark.
In the latest NYS Drought Monitor released Thursday, nearly all of Western New York became included in the "Abnormally Dry" category. The "Abnormally Dry" category, or D0, is defined by having lower surface water levels, lower than average soil moisture, and the potential for stunted crop growth.
By the numbers, 27 percent of New York State has the definition of abnormally dry soil. This is compared to the nearly 50 percent of the state having the same definition this time last year. And as of July 7, no region across New York state has the designation of moderate, severe, extreme or exceptional drought.
For the season, Buffalo is now approaching an inch behind in rainfall. And with little rain forecasted over the next seven days, the region will likely reach that benchmark.
But with these drought-like conditions only being first observed in early-July, this is something the region can bounce back from with more substation rainfall over the next few weeks. There are long range computer models and outlooks that hint at better chances for rain into the middle and end of July, but getting out of this dry categorization could take several weeks.
There is the chance a few counties and areas could see these conditions worsen as well. We'll be keeping an eye on the Genesee Valley and Allegany County within the next two weeks if this were to occur. an update to this Drought Monitor will be released Thursday, July 21st.
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