The National Weather Service says there is a little good news in the weather forecast over the next few weeks, but it's nothing to get excited about because we are far from this current drought being over.

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Hydrologist Jim Noel says for the next few weeks the weather pattern of pop-up showers and thunderstorms will likely continue, but it won't be enough to bring the state out of its current state of extreme dryness. Noel says Indiana is 9 to 12 inches below normal in terms of the water table and the state is used to getting about 4 inches of rain a month. Noel says that means the state would have to get 12 to 16 inches of rain in one month to get out of drought status.

The late summer and early autumn out look isn't much better as above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall are expected to continue through October. Noel says the National Weather Service has also issued an El Nino Watch as the Pacific Ocean continues to warm. El Nino weather patterns tend to create very dry winters for the midwest, so meteorologists believe the drought may continue into the winter months.

Noel says it took a long time to get into drought conditions and it will take a long time to get out of them. Noel says in the Ohio River Basin, Indiana and Illinois are the statesin the worst drought conditions. The Ohio River Basin includes Pensylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee.