Drought in Morgan, Ohio

October began with Moderate Drought (D1) conditions or worse across southeast Ohio. The worst drought (D4) covered portions of Perry, Morgan, Athens, Vinton, and Meigs counties, while conditions improved to the south.

Several systems swept cold fronts through the area during the month. However, the majority of the area only received a few hundredths of rain at a time, while pockets of an inch or more were sporadically observed. Multiple days of dry weather in between systems also prevented whatever precipitation that did fall from putting a significant dent in the drought.

The severe to exceptional drought covering Perry, Morgan, Washington, Athens, Vinton, and Meigs counties remained relatively unchanged throughout the month. However, small improvements did occur in Lawrence, southern Jackson, and southern Gallia counties.

Impacts reported during the height of the drought included below normal stream flows, low water in wells and a local reservoir, shortage of hay, water hauling, and an increase in fire danger.