We've had summers when you could leave the sprinklers off until August because the summer rain would take care of everything for us. But lately, we are just not seeing those good, soaking rains that make the lawn green and the garden flourish.

​July 2020 will likely be remembered not only for the heat but lack of rain too. In fact, it is likely the lack of rainfall that is responsible for an abudance of 90-degree plus days. Columbus typically averages 18 days with 90-degree temperatures or above. So far in 2020, Columbus has had 24 days above 90, and we aren't even into August yet. Dayton and Toledo are also above normal for the number of 90-degree days. 

The lack of rainfall of late is contributing to the intense heat. While much of the eastern half of the country has been hot, dry ground can heat up faster than ground that contains moisture. If there is plenty of soil moisture, the evaporation can actually help cool the air slightly. But once that moisture is gone, the ground heats up a lot quicker.

We saw a historic 12-day heat wave in Columbus (3rd-most on record for consecutive 90 degree days) earlier in July. July 6th and 7th were the warmest days so far this month, with Columbus reaching 97 degrees both days. Every Thursday morning, the U.S. Drought Monitor releases an update on drought conditions around the country.

The latest data shows now 23 percent of Ohio is considered to be in a D1 (moderate drought). This is a jump from just 3 percent of the state one week ago. Specific areas under moderate drought include a stretch from Defiance to Toledo down to Mansfield. And, there's also an area near and just east of the I-75 corridor in western Ohio. Many other areas of the state remain in the D0 (abnormally dry) category.

It is important to note that the data used in the latest update does not include the rain that fell after July 21st. There were some soaking rains in Ohio since that date which means parts of the area now under moderate drought may improve with the next update comes out on July 30th.

That being said, the long-range outlook into the first week of August does not offer much hope for any widespread rain or significantly cooler temperatures. The only thing unforseen that could change that would be if a tropical system makes it all the way into the Ohio Valley. There are some tropical systems to watch out for over the next one to two weeks, so stay tuned!