Drought Information Statement for Southern Indiana and Central Kentucky Valid October 2, 2025 Issued By: WFO Louisville KY Contact Information: nws.louisville@noaa.gov This product will be updated once a month or more frequently if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/lmk/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates. The October 2 Drought Monitor update reduced the area of Severe Drought (D2) and Moderate Drought (D1) across central Kentucky and southern Indiana as widespread rainfall occurred September 21-25. A return of dry weather over the past week, continuing through this weekend, will likely lead to a resumed worsening of drought conditions. 1 U.S. Drought Monitor U.S. Drought Monitor: Two Week Comparison Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): [State each county or region under D4 or remove subheading.] D3 (Extreme Drought): [State each county or region under D3 or remove subheading.] D2 (Severe Drought): [State each county or region under D2 or remove subheading.] D1 (Moderate Drought): [State each county or region under D1 or remove subheading.] D0: (Abnormally Dry): [State each county or region under D0 or remove subheading. September 23 September 30 Recent Change in Drought Intensity Link to the latest class change maps for the U.S. Widespread improvements of 1 drought class were observed across southern Indiana and central Kentucky. Areas which saw less rain saw no change in drought classification 30-Day Precipitation Swaths of 2 to 5 inches of rain during the period September 21-25 resulted in many areas across central Kentucky and southern Indiana ending up with near or above normal precipitation for September. However, areas which saw lesser precipitation totals last week remained below normal for the month. Precipitation totals and departures from normal Temperature Anomalies Temperature While above normal temperatures were present across the region during most of September, temperatures have been even more anomalously warm over the past week. Summary of Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts While many streamflows remain normal, there are a few USGS gauges showing below-normal flows in central Kentucky and southern Indiana. Agricultural Impacts Current crop report depicts 45% of topsoil and 58% of subsoil in Kentucky rated as short or very short for soil moisture. This is an improvement of 37% for topsoil and 27% for subsoil over the past week. Crop and pasture conditions remained steady or slightly improved. According to the USDA Crop Report, 47% of corn and 31% of soybeans were rated as good to excellent. Pasture conditions reported at 21% as being good or excellent. Source: KY Division of Water Fire Hazard Impacts 3 central Kentucky counties have burn bans in place. Other Impacts None at this time. Mitigation Actions None at this time. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Most streams across central Kentucky and southern Indiana are experiencing near normal flows in the wake of last week’s rainfall USGS 7-day average streamflow Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) maps https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/soilmst/img/curr.w.rank.daily.gif Agricultural Impacts Soil Moisture values are near normal across much of central Kentucky and southern Indiana Soil Moisture is below normal across much of the Midwest and mid-Mississippi Valley Fire Hazard Impacts In central Kentucky, the following counties have instituted a burn ban*: Bourbon, Clark, LaRue All counties in southern Indiana have removed their respective burn bans* *As of 10/02/25 https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive-services/outlooks Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Mostly dry weather is expected through the upcoming weekend as high pressure over the eastern US dominates A cold front approaching from the northwest early-to-mid next week will re-introduce precipitation chances across the region, though overall rainfall amounts are expected to be light WPC Rapid Onset Drought Outlook Links to the latest Climate Prediction Center 8 to 14 day Temperature Outlook and Precipitation Outlook. No hazards are outlooked for the middle Ohio Valley for the period October 10-16. Drought may rapidly develop in east Texas and across the lower Mississippi Valley. October Temperature Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage There is a greater likelihood of above normal temperatures across the Ohio Valley during the month of October. Caveat: This outlook may be influenced by high confidence in above normal temperatures over the next 7-10 days October Precipitation Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage There is a greater likelihood of below normal precipitation across the Ohio Valley during the month of October. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought conditions are expected to persist or develop across much of the region over the next three months. The next Seasonal Drought Outlook will be issued on October 16th. Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook