Ask the Meteorologist: What would it take to end ongoing drought?

At this point, it would either take a tropical system or something called an "upper level low" to help us get rid of the drought.
Posted 4/22/2026, 11:57:02 AM Updated 4/22/2026, 12:00:12 PM

THE SERIES. GAME. 3 IS AN

OTTAWA TOMORROW NIGHT.

>> THE ONGOING DROUGHT HAS BEEN

MONTHS IN THE MAKING, WHICH

MEANS IT MIGHT TAKE THAT LONG

TO GET RID OF IT. METEOROLOGIST

CHRIS MICHAELS SHOWS US THE ONE

UNIQUE WEATHER FEATURE THAT

COULD BRING RELIEF BEFORE

SUMMER TIME IN 2 DAYS ASKED

THE METEOROLOGISTS, CHRIS, GIVE

US HOPE THIS IS PURELY JUST

TRYING TO BE OPTIMISTIC HERE

BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU DON'T

WANT A TROPICAL SYSTEM TO GET

RID OF THE DROUGHT. BUT ONE

THING WE WATCH FOR IN THE

MONTHS OF MAY AND JUNE IS

SOMETHING THAT'S CALLED AN

UPPER LEVEL LOW.

>> THAT IS USUALLY CUT OFF FROM

THE JET STREAM. SO BECAUSE IT'S

CUT OFF FROM THOSE HARSH WINDS,

IT CAN STAY CAN MEANDER FOR

DAYS AT A TIME OF ACTUALLY

COVERED A NUMBER OF THESE IN

THE MONTHS OF MAY AND JUNE AND

SOMETIMES THEY CAN DROP INCHES

OF RAIN WITHIN DAYS. SO WE

REMAIN HOPEFUL FOR THAT.

>> IN THE MEANTIME, WE LOOK

TOWARDS SOME LONG-RANGE

OUTLOOKS LIKE THIS ONE FROM

NOAA'S CLIMATE PREDICTION

CENTER AND IT AT LEAST SHOWS

THE POSSIBILITY OF A BUNCH OF

THE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IN

THE MONTHS OF MAY. AND JUNE,

WHICH WOULD BE VERY MUCH

WELCOME NEWS BECAUSE SO FAR

THIS MONTH, RAIN CHANCES BURIED

IN SILENCE. HARDLY ANYTHING.

WE'VE SEEN A 10TH OF AN INCH

OF RAIN IN RALEIGH THAT MAKES

IT THE 3RD DRIEST MONTH ON

RECORD. THE DRIEST WAS OCTOBER

OF 2000 AND NOVEMBER OF 1931,

SOME RAIN CHANCES IN THE

FORECAST. BUT ELIZABETH, WE

NEED 10 TO 11 INCHES OF RAIN

WITHIN ONE MONTH TO COMPLETELY

GET RID OF THE DROUGHT.

OBVIOUSLY DON'T WANT ALL THAT