As predicted in my summer forecast posted here, the Climate Prediction Center has changed their summer drought forecast to reflect my idea that…
…I think the summer of 2007 could be the warmest since 1999 and I think drought conditions will worsen across the Commonwealth.
On Friday, the CPC issued their weekly seasonal drought forecast which for the first time shows drought persisting rather than improving over Kentucky and the rest of the mid-south. Drought conditions are expected to improve along the Gulf Coast and over Florida and the Piedmont areas of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The latest US Drought Monitor map shows that Kentucky is now in a D1 moderate drought and that northern Alabama is now in the highest category (D4) exceptional drought, which by definition occurs once every 50 years. The latest PDSI value for south-central Kentucky is -2.06, which ranks May 2007 as the 15th lowest PDSI since 1895.
With June already once inch short on rain and hot and dry weather expected over the next 10 days, it appears that drought conditions for Kentucky will continue to worsen.
