Nearly 2/3 of Schuylkill County in Moderate Drought Conditions

Almost two-thirds of Schuylkill County is facing Moderate Drought conditions.

According to the US Drought Monitor, much of central and eastern Schuylkill County has been designated as facing a D1 Moderate Drought.

The rest of Schuylkill County is considered Abnormally Dry.

The Drought Monitor is a collaboration of data and research from the National Drought Mitigation Center, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the US Dept. of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A lack of any measurable rainfall – with the exception of Wednesday night during the severe storm outbreak here – and high temperatures contributed considerably to the ongoing drought conditions.

However, Schuylkill County may not hang onto its drought conditions much longer.

National Weather Service data from Auburn showed slightly more than an inch of rain fell there on Wednesday.

And if that didn’t tip the scale, expected rainfall amounts between 1-2 inches headed into Saturday night should really help allay concerns held by many farmers and others affected by drought conditions.