Weekend rains and thunderstorms that left thousands of Greater Cincinnati residents temporarily without power did little to help overall precipitation woes.

        Nearly 3 inches of rain fell in some parts of the Tristate Saturday night and Sunday morning, said Don Hughes, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

        Five power outages averaging less than an hour in duration occurred between 1:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday. About 7,000 Ohio and Northern Kentucky customers were affected, Cinergy spokeswoman Kathy Meinke said.

        Despite the rain, the region is still about 1 1/2inches below normal precipitation for the year, Mr. Hughes said.

        The occasional shower should not stop people from closely monitoring their plants to make sure they have enough water, said David Tennant, an education manager with the Cincinnati Nature Center. Trees continue to be stressed, and some are already losing their leaves.

        “We'll just need to water a little more,” Mr. Tennant said. “Any time you can break a drought or a dry spell with some rain, it's a good thing. But it would be nice if we could get some good rain that could soak into the ground.”

        That relief might be on the way. Forecasters predict rain and some thunderstorms will pass through later this week.

        Today should be dry, but cloudy, with highs in the upper 70s. Tuesday's forecast calls for sunny skies with highs in the low 80s. Greater Cincinnati should see rain after Wednesday.

        “Right now, they're still looking to be scattered rain showers,” Mr. Hughes said. “But any rain is going to help.”

Federal judges say pay falls short
Chabot against light rail tax hike
McGuffey museum rededicated
Round-trip race all wet; but spirits were willing
He's there for homeless kids
I-75 upgrade will have to wait
Program helps addicts recover
Solutions for Rybolt Road to be studied
Despite rain, area still needs water
Eligibility in judge's race before board
Four Bridges urged to back buffers
Tristate A.M. Report
Coast Guard volunteers to patrol Herrington Lake
Kentucky's suicide rate is higher than national average
Mother of quads happy to have gay couple raising kids
Poll: N.Ky. backs gambling at tracks
Prisoner escapes from Jefferson County Jail
Bronson: Airport security
Howard: Some good news
You Asked For It