Though the forecast calls for rain each day through Sunday and a local flooding alert, four area counties remain under a drought watch.

Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill counties have been listed in that category since early August, while Monroe is under normal conditions, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.The next Commonwealth Drought Task Force meeting is scheduled forWednesday."Very little precipitation fell in the last seven days which has led to increases in precipitation departures, continued declines in instantaneous stream flows, and decreasing ground water levels," DEP officials said in a drought update released Monday. "Groundwater levels fell during the last week with five counties moving from 'normal' to 'watch' over the last seven days."Over that same period, Lehighton saw just 0.49 inches of rain, the bulk of that coming early Tuesday.Due to low pool elevation, Beltzville Lake Preachers Camp Boat Launch Ramp was closed Wednesday until further notice, park manager Devin Buzard announced."The lower than normal lake elevation is related to drought control for the Delaware River Basin," Buzard said.The boat ramp will remain closed until lake pool elevation returns to sufficient levels.Lehigh and Northampton counties are in the "warning" category for groundwater conditions, while only Northampton is in that category for surface water.The seven-day forecast indicates approximately 1.5 to 7 inches of precipitation for the state, with the highest rainfall amounts forecast to be in the south-central portion of the state.A 90-day analysis shows the precipitation deficit ranging from 50 percent below to 10 percent above normal precipitation."In a drought watch, we should all be seeking to reduce water use by about 5 percent," said David Jostenski, state drought coordinator.No area public water suppliers are on the water use restriction list.By the time the drought task force meets next week, there could be a noticeable change in the water table.Carbon County was expected to see between a quarter and half of an inch both on Wednesday night and during the day Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.Additional rain is expected to total between a tenth and quarter of an inch each on Thursday night, Friday and Friday night.There is also a 40 percent chance of rain on Saturday.AccuWeather senior meteorologist Rich Putnam said with Atlantic moisture involved and downpours lingering in some areas, there will be a general 2 to 4 inches of rain over the mid-Atlantic states.Localized flooding can occur from the southern tier of New York state to southeastern Virginia.