Today’s updated U.S. drought monitor shows Louisiana remains the epicenter for drought in the United States. State Climatologist Barry Keim says 99-percent of Louisiana is in some stage of drought.
“88% is in either extreme or exceptional drought, these are the two worst classes,” said Keim.
Keim says since August 1st, on average only five inches of rain has fallen across the state.
“Normal rainfall for this time period would be about 13.5 inches, so we are at about 40-percent of normal rainfall for the last three months,” said Keim.
The weather forecast for the next week does not call for any significant chance of rain. Keim says an El Nino climate pattern is expected to continue into the winter and he says that should result about normal precipitation.
“El Nino is getting stronger and normally what that does it creates more storm formation, bringing us some rainfall keeping us wetter than normal, as of this point that pattern hasn’t really kicked in yet,” said Keim.
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