Dry October in Western U.S.

The weather in southern Kentucky has been dry as of late, but earlier in the month we saw some rainfall that has brought the Bowling Green October monthly rainfall total to 3.22″. While 3.22″ of precipitation is not that impressive, it is 0.92″ above normal as October is usually one of the driest months.

There has not been much rainfall in other parts of the country during the month of October, especially across the west. Check out this map showing the current month to date percent of normal precipitation for October with much of the west seeing a rainfall deficit.

The map above points out an area in the southwest that has seen 0-5% of its normal rainfall. Many locations in this 0-5% range have seen no precipitation so far this month. This is not helping the ongoing drought across the southwest.

The dry conditions out west are putting ski resorts behind this season. As of today, the only ski resort open in the country is Arapahoe Basin in Colorado. Hopefully the pattern changes soon and locations out west can pick up some much needed precipitation.