Mix of Improvements, Degradations to Drought Depiction
Two weather systems impacted the U.S. last week, bringing valuable moisture to both the West and East coasts. It was a different story for the nation’s midsection though, which baked under generally dry, hot weather.
West
Rain and mountain snow varied across the West last week, leading to a mix of improvements and degradations to the drought depiction. There was beneficial moisture that fell in parts of the Southwest as well as southern Montana. Meanwhile, the rest of the region was fairly dry. Most of the West also experienced warmer than normal temperatures.
Exceptional drought (D4) improved along the Nevada-Arizona border, while extreme drought (D3) was trimmed back in southern Utah, southern Nevada, eastern California and western Arizona. Severe drought (D2) improved in parts of Utah and Arizona, but 82-percent of Arizona remains in severe (D2) to extreme (D4) drought.
Conversely, exceptional drought (D4) expanded in southern New Mexico, with 74-percent of New Mexico now in severe (D2) to extreme (D4) drought. Severe drought (D2) increased in parts of Montana, while moderate drought (D1) worsened in portions of Washington, Idaho and Montana. Abnormal dryness (D0) also increased in western Washington, northeastern Oregon, northern and southern Idaho, and in southern California.
High Plains
Rain was hit-or-miss across the High Plains last week, with warm temperatures dominating most of the region. Precipitation generally was limited to western and southern portions of the High Plains, but most amounts were insufficient for significant improvement.
Heavy rain fell in eastern Colorado and Kansas, with amounts around 1 to 3 inches. This led to improvements in moderate to severe drought (D1-D2) and abnormal dryness (D0) in these areas.
Elsewhere, dry weather resulted in the introduction and expansion of drought. Extreme drought (D3) was introduced in western Nebraska, while moderate to extreme drought (D1-D3) expanded in eastern Nebraska and western Colorado. Nebraska is especially hard-hit, with over 97-percent of the Cornhusker State experiencing some level of drought.
Midwest
Like the West and High Plains, there were the haves and the have-nots in terms of precipitation across the Midwest last week. Overall, temperatures also remained above normal throughout the week. Rainfall was reported across the southern and eastern portions of the region, but the greatest amounts fell in areas free of drought and abnormal dryness. Precipitation was below normal elsewhere.
Growing precipitation deficits and worsening streamflows and soil moisture resulted in expansion of drought and dryness. Moderate drought (D1) and abnormal dryness (D0) expanded in central Minnesota, in southern portions of Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa, and northern portions of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
South
Cooler than normal temperatures and soggy weather occurred throughout most of the South this week, allowing for improvements to drought and abnormal dryness. Heavier amounts of rain fell across much of Louisiana and Mississippi, and in parts of Oklahoma, Texas and southern Arkansas. Here, there were rainfall amounts as high as 8 inches!
Moderate to exceptional drought (D1-D4) improved throughout parts of western, central and southern Texas, while moderate to severe drought (D1-D2) was improved in western Oklahoma. Improvements were made to abnormal dryness (D0) in Oklahoma and Texas, while abnormal dryness (D0) was removed from southern Mississippi and southern Louisiana. Unfortunately, a large area of exceptional drought (D4) remains in Texas, extending from the Trans-Pecos to much of the Hill Country.
Southeast
Heavy rain fell throughout much of the Southeast last week, with rainfall amounts ranging from 1 to 8 inches. Amounts last week were up to 600-percent above normal, which supported widespread improvements to drought and abnormally dry conditions.
Severe drought (D2) was removed from northern Florida, while moderate to severe drought (D1-D2) and abnormal dryness (D0) were improved across much of the state. However, extreme drought (D3) remains in the Fort Myers to Naples area. Elsewhere, there were improvements to severe drought (D2) made along the Carolina coast, while moderate drought (D1) and abnormal dryness (D0) were improved across most of the region. No degradations occurred this week.
Northeast
The Northeast also picked up heavy rain last week, with most places seeing 1 to 4 inches of rainfall. The heaviest rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches were seen in parts of eastern Pennsylvania, New York and New England.
Moderate to severe drought (D1-D2) was improved in eastern Pennsylvania. Moderate drought (D1) was removed from New Hampshire and improved in central Massachusetts, southern New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Abnormal dryness (D0) was also improved across the region.
Looking Ahead (May 6th through May 13th)
A series of weather systems look to move across the Northern Tier over the forecast period. This will bring beneficial moisture to the northern half of the West, the High Plains, Midwest and Northeast. These areas will likely see more improvements to the drought depiction compared to degradations given daily or almost daily chances for rain and mountain snow.
Some of the weather systems in the Northern Tier could clip the South and Southeast this week. As a result, precipitation will likely vary across these regions. Given that, there could be a mix of improvements and degradations.
The Southwest, however, miss out almost entirely. This will translate into dry weather and worsening drought and abnormally dry conditions.
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Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
