Drought — Clay, Indiana

2023-12-12 to 2023-12-31 · Clay, Indiana

Event narrative

Continued well below normal rainfall caused severe drought intensity to begin on December 12, 2023 in extreme southern Clay County. The December 19, 2023 update expanded severe drought slightly to include far southern Clay County. Severe drought was downgraded to moderate drought on January 16, 2024.

Wider weather episode

Abnormally Dry (D0) and/or Moderate Drought (D1) intensity was common across central Indiana from late May 2023 to early August 2023, and again from mid-September 2023 into December. A very dry November with generally only 0.75 to 1.50 inches of precipitation promoted the expansion of Severe Drought (D2) conditions from southeastern Illinois into southern portions of Indiana during mid-December.

The December 12, 2023 United States Drought Monitor update depicted D2 effecting 8 counties south and west of Bloomington, which was maintained through the January 16, 2024 update. No known impacts occurred due to no effective ongoing agriculture during the winter season. Severe Drought also expanded further eastward into southeastern central Indiana as of the December 19, 2023 Drought Monitor Update.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1153712. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.