DROUGHT ENDS
Tuesday, August 15th, 2006 -- 2:12 PM
While we're still short rainfall, the drought in our area is officially over.According to last week?s United States Drought Monitor report, our area has been down-graded from a moderate to severe drought to ?abnormally dry?.
Since that report was issued, our area received another two to three inches of rain.
?While one downpour doesn?t alleviate a drought, it's been wet enough to help things along a little better,? according to Todd Shea of the National Weather Service in La Crosse.
Meteorologists have also been tracking area waterways. Obviously, most are lower than normal, but Shea says there?s been enough rain to keep most rivers from experiencing serious problems.
According to National Weather Service data, the Black River at Neillsville is currently at 3.64-feet, with a flow of 214 cubic feet per second (cfs) ? that?s only 65-percent of average.
And the extended forecast isn?t looking promising.
?Not overly encouraging. That can really vary,? Shea says, explaining the 90-day forecast calls for seasonable temps and below average precipitation.
As of last Thursday, only the extreme northwestern corner of the state was still experiencing drought-like conditions.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.