Storm Delivers Scant Rain as Lafayette County Drought Deepens

The Lafayette County drought tightened its grip over the weekend as a storm system that had been expected to soak the area instead left most of the county with barely a trace of rain. Totals stayed below one-tenth of an inch, a fraction of what forecasters had projected, and the region’s severe drought classification remains unchanged.

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Rainfall Totals Fall Far Short

Oxford recorded 0.07 inches from Saturday through Sunday morning, according to a National Weather Service cooperative observer. A volunteer weather station 3.9 miles north of Oxford measured 0.10 inches, while the Abbeville area, 8.2 miles southeast of Oxford, picked up 0.08 inches.

Those readings contrast sharply with earlier expectations. On Saturday morning, the National Weather Service in Memphis called for about an inch in Oxford, and prior forecasts had suggested 1 to 3 inches across the county. Dry air moving into the region cut rainfall amounts, and the heaviest precipitation ended up falling east of Lafayette County.

Drought Status and Burn Ban Persist

The U.S. Drought Monitor continues to classify Lafayette County in severe drought, or D2 on its five-tier scale. That scale runs from D0, abnormally dry, to D4, exceptional drought. The weekend rain was nowhere near enough to improve conditions, and a burn ban remains in effect for the county.

It is not yet known when the burn ban will be lifted or how much rain would be needed to ease the drought.

Week Ahead Offers Little Relief

Monday and Tuesday should be sunny and dry with highs near 88. Wednesday brings the only notable rain chance this week, at 30%. Thursday turns dry again with a high near 88.

A cold front is forecast for Friday, pushing highs into the 70s and lows into the low 50s. The chance of rain with that front is just 10%, so it is unclear whether it will deliver measurable precipitation. The weekend that follows looks mostly dry, with a high near 65 on Saturday and near 71 on Sunday.

The next better opportunity for rain comes on Oct. 19, when chances rise to 45%.