Environment

The severity of the drought in the Ohio River basin has officials with the US Army Corps of Engineers monitoring water sources in Kentucky and surrounding states. 

U. S. Army Corps of Engineers officials continue to monitor low water levels in the Ohio River. Hydraulic engineer Bryan Astifan said the river level at Cairo, Ill., is a barometer of how the Ohio River basin and the Upper Mississippi River basin is fairing in the drought.

Madisonville Mayor David Jackson has reinstated a ban on fireworks and outdoor burning within city limits due to continuing dry conditions. 

The drought in western Kentucky and northwestern Tennessee will continue through the end of the year. That’s the latest outlook from the National Weather Service’s Jim Noel.