The new drought monitor will come out Thursday morning. The map identifies general areas of drought and labels them by intensity, taking into account rainfall deficit, agriculture and water levels.
“We’ll see what the rainfall influx does to the drought monitor for the Miami Valley,” said Nate McGinnis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
In Dayton, the September rain total was 4.68 inches, which is 1.48 above normal.
In Cincinnati, the monthly rain total was 5.45 inches, which is 2.04 inches above normal.
Columbus had 2.46 inches of rain for September, but it was 0.7 inch below normal, according to NWS data.
Scattered showers and possible thunderstorms are in the forecast through Tuesday, with dense fog likely in the morning. But it’s not the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
McGinnis said the area still has moisture from the tropics.
“Eventually a cold front will come through (this) evening, get rid of the moisture,” he said. “We’ll have some sunshine later this week — Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.”
Temperatures also will be seasonable. The average high and low this time of year is 74 and 52 degrees.
At its peak, the utility company AES Ohio had 136,000 customers without power, with 635 people responding among line crews, dispatchers, call centers, out-of-state contractors and others on the job, said Mary Ann Kabel, spokeswoman for AES Ohio. The company had 137 line crews responding, including 55 from out of state.
AES Ohio has restored service to 94% of those affected by the storm. The company aimed to hit 95% by Tuesday evening, Kabel said.
As of 12:53 p.m. Monday, AES Ohio had 11,154 total customers with service, including 6,845 in Montgomery County, 2,572 in Greene County, 25 in Miami County and 360 in Warren County.
Crews are approaching the point in the restoration process when repairs return power to smaller groups of people. Most of the outages remaining Monday were groups of 50 or fewer customers, according to the AES Ohio outage map.
Kabel said smart meters are helping and allow crews to ping meters.
“We can isolate the outages as opposed to having the scouts find them,” she said.
One of the primary challenges crews faced was the amount of damage due to high winds — removing downed trees or branches, repairing or replacing utility poles and more.
“The wind, that sustained amount, is very damaging,” Kabel said.
Strong sustained winds continuing until early Friday night also complicated restoration efforts.
“We cannot safely put up a bucket truck at (winds of) 20 (mph),” Kabel said. “That’s a high-risk situation for our line crews.”
While some customers who remained without power Monday expressed frustrations on social media, Kabel said the company has employees who monitor social media and customer phone calls.
“We do hear you, we do listen, we do watch,” she said.
Multiple cities across the Miami Valley are working to help residents remove debris.
Moraine is doing brush collection this week and asked residents to have all tree limbs and branches at the curb by 7 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Brush piles should be kept separate from leaf piles and should be 8 feet long by 10 inches high. Staff will work north to south through neighborhoods and will not pick up contractor-cut brush.
Moraine residents can also drop brush off at the Streets Garage at 4028 Vance Road until Oct. 11. Hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Miami Twp. Public Works crews will pick up storm debris left at the curb. Residents don’t have to have debris tied in a bundle but should not put full-size trees or stumps at the curb.
Crews will only pick up tree limbs and leaves. The process is expected to take most of the week, but the township will provide updates online and on social media.
Centerville is offering a one-time brush collection the week of Oct. 7. Residents should have all brush at the curb by 7 a.m. on Oct. 7.
The piles should be eight feet long and 10 inches in diameter and placed behind the curb and parallel to the road. Brush piles do not need to be bundled but should be separate from leaf piles.
Crews will not collect contractor-bundled brush. Residential brush drop-off hours have been extended until Oct. 11 at the Public Works facility at 7970 S. Suburban Road.
Hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
Kettering is working on a plan for the storm’s aftermath. More details are expected Tuesday.
The city has extended its yard debris center’s hours to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Washington Twp. residents who use Rumpke for waste collection should gather tree limbs in bundles of four feet by two feet. Bundles should not weigh more than 50 pounds and should be placed near trash bins on their regular pickup day.
Residents who use Republic Services need to contact the company directly at 937-268-8110.
Waste Management told the township they do not offer debris or tree limb pickup, according to a spokesperson for the township. Residents who use Waste Management should dispose of their yard waste as they regularly do.
West Carrollton is scheduled to collect storm debris until Friday.
Residents can put tree limbs, leaves and similar debris at the curb. Crews will not collect full size trees, strumps or any large fallen trunks.
Debris should be put between the curb and sidewalk. No debris should be placed in the road.
Franklin residents can put tree limbs and branches between the curb and sidewalk for pickup. Once ready, residents should call the city’s public works department at 937-746-5001 to schedule a pickup.
Neither Bellbrook nor Beavercreek are offering debris collections, with both cities citing a lack of crews and resources. However, Beavercreek Communications Director Katy Carrico noted residents can drop off brush Greene County Environmental Services for free.
Xenia offered brush pick up to residents on Monday.
Fairborn did not have any scheduled pickups as of early Monday afternoon.
New Carlisle is not offering any additional waste collections. Residents are able to put tree limb and brush with their regular trash.
Staff writers Jen Balduf, London Bishop, Nick Blizzard, Thomas Gnau, Eric Schwartzberg, Kristen Spicker and Brooke Spurlock contributed to this report.
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