MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - The Mid-South has been dealing with heat and extreme drought this summer. July has provided some rain, but it hasn’t been enough to pull us out of the Mid-South’s 15 inch deficit. In fact, the lack of rain has caused some areas to fall into severe, and in some parts, exceptional drought.
John Sirmon, Meteorologist, says “It's going to take heavy rain for several days in a row to put a dent in this drought.” Sirmon says July will go down as one of the top 50 driest Julys on record.
The Mid-South has received 2.23 inches of rain this month, roughly half of the normal value. On average, July in the Mid-South usually brings close to 5 inches of rain. A big factor to the weather has been an impressive ridge to our west, which is responsible for triple digit temperatures across areas west of the Mississippi river.
“Further west in Arkansas, they are in exceptional drought,” says Sirmon. “Only a Mesoscale Convective System, or a cluster of thunderstorms, will be able to give the Mid-South some relief.”
The recent rains have not helped the “feel like” temperatures. All the moisture is making for more humid conditions. When the sun pops back out after a rain, temperatures quickly jump up. The Mid-South has experienced heat indices near 115 degrees over the last couple of days. An Excessive Heat Watch is already in effect for parts of the Mid-South on Wednesday.
The experts at the local National Weather Service say August has an outlook just as dry and hot. As for July, it will go down as the 7th warmest July on record.
