Moderate drought persists in Hancock County

FINDLAY — An update released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday shows no improvement in Hancock County since September, with a pocket of extreme drought now being reported in Fulton County. Hancock County is still experiencing moderate drought conditions, according to the Drought Monitor. Moderate drought is hard on landscaping, and hay and fruit yields are low. Brush fires can begin to occur. The pocket of extreme drought over Fulton County reaches into Williams and Henry counties. Surrounding counties in the northwest corner of the state are considered in severe drought. Conditions to the east and the south in Ohio, and other parts of the Midwest, have shown some improvement over the past three weeks. The U.S. Drought Monitor was established in 1999 as a partnership between the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. About 250 climatologists and extension agents work to update drought maps each week and report how drought conditions are affecting crops and wildlife. So far this month, the National Weather Service has recorded only about a quarter inch of rain at the Findlay Airport, 1516 Gray St. The normal amount of rainfall for October is 1.3 inches. There's no rain in the National Weather Service's seven-day forecast for Findlay. The forecast calls for sunny skies, with daytime temperatures near or in the 70s, and night-time lows slowly climbing back into the 50s. There is also no clear indication as to whether the coming winter months will bring much relief. For now, NOAA's seasonal forecast for November, December and January in Ohio and most of the United States, shows "equal chances" for precipitation to be above or below normal. Temperatures over the next three months are expected to be above normal in most of the U.S. However, conditions are favorable for a La Niña to develop this year. According to the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center, part of NOAA, there is a 60% chance of a La Niña developing within the next six weeks and persisting through March. A La Niña, which means "little girl" in Spanish, typically means a cold and wet winter for the northern United States, which could help end the drought in the Midwest. During a La Niña, strong trade winds push warm water in the Pacific towards Asia, which causes cold water to surface off the coast of the Americas, driving the jet stream north, according to NOAA.