Western Kentucky Goes From Flood to Drought in a Year

Last year was the wettest on record in Kentucky going back to 1895, bringing widespread flooding last spring in some areas. But state climatologist Stuart Foster says those same parts of the state are currently in drought.

With spring’s unusually warm, dry weather, April-May precipitation totals are drastically different from last year’s. Foster says climate monitoring stations in the Kentucky Mesonet show totals of 16 to 24 inches for those two months last year in eight western Kentucky counties, while this year the figures range from an inch and a half to less than 6 inches in those same counties.

The Kentucky Climate Center says a dry start to the year doesn’t always mean intense summer drought, but Foster says people involved in weather-sensitive work should be aware it’s possible.