Hurricane Helene is carrying billions of gallons of rainwater that could end Ohio’s drought if the storm is properly redirected.
That’s looking like more of a longshot every day, though, according to Alex Kennedy, a meteorologist who works in the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service.
“Right now, the National Hurricane Center has it tailing toward Indiana and the southern portion of Illinois,” Kennedy said on Thursday. “Kind of where Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois all meet.”
Ohio is forecast to receive about an inch of rain from the outskirts of Helene, which is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reaches the state Friday night or early Saturday.
Where will the hurricane hit?
Helene was destined to devastate the Florida coast sometime Thursday evening, then blow north toward the Tennessee Valley where it could stall for several hours.
Coastal areas may see nearly 2 feet of rain, USA Today reports.
Portions of Tennessee and Kentucky could be drenched with enough rain to cause flooding.
What happens from there depends on how long the storm stalls and what path it takes north.
“We do expect to see some moisture come up Friday into Saturday,” Kennedy said. “Nothing’s going to be too significant from what it looks like at this point.”
The weather service is projecting an inch of rain Saturday for the southern half of Ohio, and about a half inch across the northern reaches of the Buckeye State.
“Being that far inland, and after a couple of days, it should be fairly weak,” Kennedy said. “Throughout the weekend, there will be some spotty showers.”
A satellite image of Hurricane Helene taken at 9:31 a.m. Thursday.
More rain coming to Ohio next week
The 1-2 inches of rain that fell across Ohio this week helped quench a little of the state’s drought, which has lingered since the middle of July.
Because of the rain’s timing, it was not entirely reflected when the U.S. Drought Monitor released it’s Thursday update.
“They run these drought monitors earlier in the week,” Kennedy explained.
Data is typically collected through Tuesday, analyzed Wednesday, then released Thursday morning.
“Any of the rain that comes after the fact, between when it’s valid and when it’s released, won’t be taken into account until the week after,” Kennedy said.
Midweek rainfalls mixed with the tropical storm’s remnants over the weekend should improve Ohio’s drought, but there’s a chance it might not be enough to notice on the drought monitor’s map.
More: ‘Too much on the line’: Ohio Farm Bureau urges U.S. Congress to pass farm bill this month
Fortunately, another small storm will head toward Ohio next week.
“The next chance is probably midweek,” Kennedy said. “After that, it will dry out a little bit.”
ztuggle@gannett.com
419-564-3508
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Hurricane Helene will hit Ohio this weekend with about an inch of rain
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66f63626764c4f9d9b4616a72a2e6b09&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fspotty-showers-helene-bring-rain-173230484.html&c=10793264361704564614&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-26 17:12:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.