With very little rainfall this past month, parts of Kentucky are now under a moderate drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

What You Need To Know

  • Most of June only had a handful of rainy days

  • Central Kentucky is under a moderate drought

  • It's abnormally dry for most of the state

  • We're likely to remain drier than normal

The U.S. Drought Monitor releases map updates every Thursday to show which parts of the United States are facing drought conditions.

First, I want to look back at June. Almost everyone is at a deficit of around 1 to 2 inches. The exception is Bowling Green. They had one day this month on June 6 with record rainfall (over 3 inches) which helped them out a bunch!

The current drought monitor shows a good chunk of the state as abnormally dry. The central half of the state around the Bluegrass parkways is experiencing a moderate drought. 

So, what does each of these mean for your area?

If you are under the moderate drought, crops and pastures are starting to show stress. Streams, reservoirs and wells might be low. And burn bans might be issued for your area.

Those who are under the abnormally dry category are starting to see lawns and vegetation brown up, and crops and pastures are showing mild stress.

Over the next week, we only have one rain chance on Sunday, and the extended outlook for the month of July doesn't look promising either for rain. The western half of the state is leaning towards 33% to 40% below normal precipitation.