A rainy early spring in central Michigan could save the area from drought conditions as weather is expected to stay hot and dry for at least the next week.
While the dry spell doesn’t meet drought conditions yet, the dry pattern is expected to remain through the first week of June without any appreciable rain, Meade said.
If not for the heavy rain in April, dry conditions could have been worse, Meade said.
For the foreseeable future, Meade said, central Michigan is stuck in a dry pattern but the good news is that there is not expected to be much wind, which is a factor in wildfires.
National Weather Service meteorologists forecast 10 days out, and Meade said it isn’t looking like there will be much precipitation except a few hit-or-miss showers and a chance of rain after June 10.
However, the good news is that residents of central Michigan live in mid-latitude so it’s “bound to change,” Meade said.
While lawns might go dormant, Michigan isn’t in danger of running out of water, Meade said, and what is happening with the weather now is not a drought.
That dry weather is also prompting the United States Department of Agriculture to warn that fire danger in many parts of Michigan, including Isabella, Gratiot and Clare counties, is extreme.
Burn permits through the DNR are not available in Gratiot County, and residents there are being told to call their local fire department for information.
In Clare County, only Surrey Township is issuing burn permits; all other townships are under a no burn notice.
Source: themorningsun.com
Photo Credit: istock-chas53
Categories: Michigan, Weather