Drought in So. Maryland recedes
The new Drought Monitor map is in this morning. As expected, it shows the recent rainfall (and there's more to come) has shrunk the region of the state that's still experiencing moderate drought conditions (tan on the map), from 27 percent to 22 percent.
Meanwhile, the region that is rated "abnormally dry" (yellow plus tan) has diminished from 51 percent to 36 percent. The portion of the state enjoying normal soil moisture and streamflow (white on the map) - including Baltimore and its suburbs - has jumped from 49 percent last week, to 63 percent this week.

Streamflow looks better across most of the state, too. And the forecast promises more moisture this weekend, into Monday. Bad news for outdoor plans, but good news for gardens, crops, reservoirs and water tables. Here's a 30-day chart for a USGS monitoring well in Granite, Baltimore County.







