SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) -
You don't need a weatherman to tell you it's been a long, hot summer.
But it may become a long, hot fall, too.
And to explain that, it does take a weatherman.
Storm Team Four's Ross Caniglia tells us what may be in store.
More sunny, hot, and dry weather doesn't help when you're in the middle of a severe drought.
Unfortunately, that's what's in the 7-day forecast, and it could go well beyond that.
"We're looking at continued above normal temperatures for September and most likely below normal precipitation as well," said Mike Gillispie, Hydrologist for National Weather Service in Sioux Falls.
Above normal temps could stick around this winter too.
Climatologists say El Nino will be settling in, producing warm temperatures.
And it's even odds as to whether we'll get more precipitation than usual.
And while any rain will help, forecasters say snow pack is critical.
"If we get a normal to above normal snow pack that melts properly, nice and slowly next Spring, we could be seeing conditions improve pretty quickly," said Gillispie.
A situation like that could wipe out color from drought maps, meaning favorable conditions for next year's planting season.
But in the meantime, the map remains colorful.
A little help could have come from Isaac, which continues to ravage the Gulf Coast.
But a dip in the jetstream out west will shove the system eastward, giving other areas of the Midwest a few inches of rain but not Siouxland.
"Arkansas, Missouri, and then over towards Illinois, Indian, and Ohio eventually," said Gillispie.
Rain, that although significant, will still prove too little, too late for this year's harvest.
More sunny, hot, and dry weather doesn't help when you're in the middle of a severe drought.
