Drought — Parke, Indiana

2026-01-07 to 2026-01-31 · Parke, Indiana

Event narrative

Precipitation totaled only around 1.10 to 1.50 inches across the month of January. This led to the expansion of D2 drought into northwestern Parke county on January 6th. These drought conditions continued into at least February 2026.

Wider weather episode

Overall dry conditions that had resulted in lingering drought across central Indiana generally expanded and intensified to Severe Drought (D2) by January 6th, 2026. This expansion brought D2 intensity into portions of 6 additional central Indiana counties, with these drought conditions then maintained without any significant improvement through the remainder of the month. These conditions continued to persist into at least February 2026.

This status quo included a newly expanded sub-region that held D2 over the entirety of Fountain, Warren, and Tippecanoe counties, as well as nearly all of Montgomery and Boone counties, excluding only their far southern reaches. Additionally, the expansion of D2 drought reached into northwestern Parke County. This westward and southward creep of Severe Drought conditions effectively bridged gaps between existing dry zones, creating a broader footprint of D2 intensity across the western portion of the state.

Precipitation throughout January for these areas was notably sparse, with totals ranging from only 0.75 to 1.50 inches. Specifically, areas like Fountain and Tippecanoe counties saw extremely low totals of 0.75 to 1.10 inches, which was not enough to warrant any improvement or prevent the expansion of drought intensity. Even in areas like Montgomery and Boone counties, where totals reached up to 1.60 or 1.80 inches, the moisture was insufficient to stave off the D2 designation, ensuring the drought status remained entrenched heading into February.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1305049. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.