Thankfully, rain is in the forecast because our ground needs it

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) -

The U.S. Drought Monitor update came out on Thursday, and it showed that most of our area is suffering from Abnormally Dry conditions (yellow shade). This means that conditions are moving towards a drought IF we don’t get enough rain sooner than later. Unfortunately, parts of our area were also elevated to a Moderate Drought (tan shade) which is the early stages of actual drought conditions. Parts of Neshoba and Sumter counties are included within the Moderate Drought.

Our dry ground shouldn’t be too surprising considering that this month has had below average rainfall along with well above average heat. Meridian has only received a little more than an inch of rain for June, and this is below the average by more than 3 inches.

Thankfully, daily rain chances are in the forecast, but the timing may not be the best. We are coming up on a holiday weekend where many have outdoor plans. Having a tent (or a back-up indoor plan) for outdoor events is recommended because scattered PM showers are expected Friday through July 4th. However, no day will be a complete wash-out. Highs Friday through Monday will hover near 90 degrees each afternoon...and it will remain muggy.

Next week’s pattern will be a tad less rainy, but it’ll become more of a typical summer pattern with hit/miss pop-up storms each afternoon. It’ll also get a little hotter next week with low-mid 90s returning.

Tracking the Tropics

Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect for parts of Central America as what is expected to be “Bonnie” moves closer. Impacts will be felt mainly between Friday and Saturday morning before this system moves into the Pacific Ocean.

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