If you thought it was starting to get dry in parts of the state, you were right. A number of counties in Pennsylvania are beginning to experience low levels of ground and surface water due to decreasing levels of precipitation over the last 90 days, some to emergency levels.

Fortunately some counties in central and eastern Pennsylvania found some relief toward the end of the week from the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy.

As of July 1, no county had more than one of four indicators used to determine drought conditions—precipitation, stream flows, ground water levels and the Palmer Drought Severity Soil Index—at the emergency level.

Here’s a rundown on the driest counties--

· Ground water at emergency levels: Carbon, Erie, Dauphin, Fayette, Lawrence, Luzerne, Monroe, Potter, Schuylkill and Wayne.

· Surface water at emergency levels: Pike, Snyder and Union

· Precipitation at emergency levels: Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clinton, Fulton and Mifflin.

· Palmer Soil Index: no county has moved out of the normal range

A composite map of current conditions over the last 90 days is available online. Stream level charts covering the last 30 days that are updated daily are also available. More information is available at the Pennsylvania Drought Condition Monitoring webpage.

NewsClips: Grass Isn’t Always Greener

It’s Dry, But It’s Not a Drought

7/8/2005