Drought 2016 limited yields in some counties, but not everywhere

Most crops got off to a decent start this year in Ohio and Pennsylvania. But the success of the crop from mid-season onward all depended on who got the rain — and who did not.  For most of Ohio and Pennsylvania, and especially upstate New York, rain was a spotty thing that came in time for some counties, while going around others, leaving behind an unusual and unfortunate path of drought across the three states.  On the upside, heavy rains came by mid- to late August. But for many crops, especially corn, the damage had already been done. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the official government source of measuring of drought, at least 20 Ohio counties and 10 Pennsylvania counties were still affected by moderate drought as of Sept. 8, and 54 percent of Ohio was considered abnormally dry, with 62 percent of Pennsylvania still abnormally dry.