The Drought of 2024

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Muskingum County is being included on a map by the National Drought Monitor as an area that is experiencing extreme drought.

On a scale from D-Zero, abnormally dry, to D-4, exceptionally dry, Muskingum County is rated at a D-3, colored as red. The swath of red, on the map, ranges from Highland County, Ohio to the Interstate 79 Corridor in north central West Virginia. 

“This is the first time since 1999 that we’ve been classified as Extreme Drought, to this extent in Ohio, And what we’re referencing there is the U.S. Drought Monitor and those records for the U.S. Drought Monitor start in 1999. If we look at other drought years, 2012 is another one that people know. I’m hearing a lot of people make reference to 1988 at this point,” Muskingum County Ohio State University Extension Office Educator Clifton Martin said.

Drought conditions directly affect livestock production as well as crop and hay harvests for farmers. Additionally, newly planted trees and shrubs are at greater risk of not surviving without water.

“Some things we’re going to notice is, the fall weather is going to set in, as far as leaf drop, that’s going to come a lot sooner. And that trend, I think, reflects the entire season we’ve had. So if we look at growing degree days, we’ve been above average all year long, on growing degree days. So that started way back in March and April. But with our normal fall leaf drop, we’ll see that earlier this year,” Martin said.

Weather forecasts over the coming weeks are not showing any signs of significant precipitation for our area, and extra attention should be paid toward fire prevention.