Click on a thumbnail graphic to view a gallery of drought data from the US Drought Monitor website.
Click the link to go to the US Drought Monitor website. Here’s an excerpt:
This Week’s Drought Summary
This U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) week saw improvements on the map in drought-affected areas of the Southwest, Northern Plains, and the Midwest while conditions deteriorated in areas of the Pacific Northwest, Eastern Plains of Colorado and Montana, Southern Plains, and the South. In the Pacific Northwest, a combination of factors (below-normal snowpack conditions, short-term dryness, low streamflows) led to expansion of areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) in western portions of Oregon and Washington. In Montana, poor snowpack conditions in the northwestern and west-central part of the state led to expansion of areas of Extreme Drought (D3) where some SNOTEL stations were reporting record or near-record low snow-water equivalent (SWE) levels. In the Southern Plains, drier-than-normal conditions during the past 30-90-day period in addition to low streamflows, declining soil moisture, and impacts to crops led to expansion of areas of Moderate Drought (D1) and Severe Drought (D2) in Oklahoma and Kansas. Conversely, wetter-than-normal conditions have prevailed during the past 30-60 days in portions of the Midwest leading to widespread improvements across drought-affected areas of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Likewise, improvements were made on the map in areas of the Southwest (Arizona and New Mexico) in response to beneficial precipitation received across much of the region since the beginning of the Calendar Year (January 1). In California, snowpack conditions moving into late April (4/24) were near normal levels with the statewide snowpack at 97% of normal, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Elsewhere in the West, below-normal SWE levels have persisted in the mountain ranges of Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, and northeastern Wyoming. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) SNOTEL network (4/23), region-level (2-digit HUCs) median SWE levels are as follows: Pacific Northwest 75%, Souris-Red-Rainy 76%, Missouri 80%, California 95%, Great Basin 108%, Upper Colorado 87%, Lower Colorado 145%, Rio Grande 78%, and Arkansas-White-Red 79%…
High Plains
On this week’s map, one-category degradations were made in Kansas where precipitation has been below normal during the past 90-day period with the greatest departures (4 to 5 inches) observed in south-central and eastern Kansas. Moreover, stream gages on numerous creeks and rivers in central and eastern Kansas were reporting much below-normal flows (< 10th percentile), according to the USGS. In terms of impacts, the USDA reported (4/21/24) that 26% of the winter wheat crop in Kansas was rated in poor to very poor condition. In addition to dry conditions, average temperatures across the Plains states have been well above normal levels (ranging from 4 to 8+ degrees F) during the past 90 days with the greatest anomalies observed in far eastern portions of the region. In North Dakota Climate Division 6 (East Central Division), the December-March period was the 2nd warmest on record with an +11.6 degrees F anomaly, according to NOAA NCEI. In northeastern Nebraska and northwestern South Dakota, shorter-term improvements in drought-related conditions led to reductions in areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1). For the week, average temperatures were below normal (2 to 10+ degrees F) with the greatest departures observed in western portions of the Dakotas and Nebraska as well as along the eastern plains of Wyoming and Montana. Overall, the region was generally dry during the past week except for a few areas that benefitted from isolated shower activity in northeastern Kansas, north central and northeastern Nebraska, and southwestern South Dakota…
West
On the map, improvements were made across areas of central and southeastern Arizona and in southern New Mexico in response to a re-assessment of overall conditions looking at numerous drought metrics at various time scales. Since January 1, much of Arizona as well as western and northern portions of New Mexico have observed precipitation levels ranging from normal to well above normal. In contrast, below-normal precipitation has prevailed across much of eastern New Mexico. Looking at SWE levels (April 1) from the NRCS SNOTEL network, all basins (6-digit HUC) within Arizona and New Mexico were above normal. Elsewhere in the region, areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) were introduced in western Oregon and Washington in response to short-term dry conditions and very low streamflow levels that have significantly dipped in recent weeks. In Montana, poor snowpack conditions led to further degradations on the map…
South
In the South, light-to-moderate rainfall (up to 4 inches) was observed across isolated areas of the region during the past week with the heaviest accumulations logged in eastern Texas, northern Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas, and central Mississippi. For the week, average temperatures were near to slightly above normal in southern portions of Texas and Louisiana, while areas in the northern half of the region were generally cooler-than-normal (1 to 8 degrees F). On the map, conditions deteriorated in areas of the South Texas Plains and Edwards Plateau in response to a combination of factors including short-term dryness (past 30-90 days), low streamflows, declining soil moisture levels, and stressed vegetation. In terms of water supply, statewide reservoir conditions in Texas were at 73.9% full (4/24). However, some lingering low reservoir conditions are being reported in the western half of the state in the San Angelo and San Antonio areas, according to Water Data for Texas. In Oklahoma, dry conditions led to another round of degradations on the map across the northern portion of the state. According to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Oklahoma Crop Progress and Condition report (4/21/24), the statewide soil moisture (topsoil) condition was rated 46% short to very short. In northwestern Tennessee, reductions in areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) were made in response to precipitation during the past 30-day period…
Looking Ahead
The NWS Weather Prediction Center (WPC) 7-Day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF) calls for moderate-to-heavy precipitation accumulations ranging from 2 to 5+ inches (liquid) across western Washington and Oregon as well as eastern portions of the Southern and Central Plains and lower Midwest. Lighter accumulations (< 2 inches) are expected in areas of the Central and Northern Rockies and Upper Midwest, while isolated light shower activity is expected in portions of Northern California, the Great Basin, and the Northeast. The NWS Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 6-10 Day Outlooks call for a moderate-to-high probability of above-normal temperatures across most of the conterminous U.S., with the exception of the Far West, and the western Great Basin where cooler-than-normal temperatures are expected. In Alaska, there is a low-to-moderate probability of above-normal temperatures in the southern half of the state and below-normal temperatures north of the Brooks Range. In terms of precipitation, below-normal precipitation is expected across the Eastern Tier of the conterminous U.S. as well as out West in western Colorado, Utah, and southern Nevada. Elsewhere, there is a high probability of above-normal precipitation across the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, eastern New Mexico, Texas, the Plains states, and the Upper Midwest.
