Click here to go to the US Drought Monitor website. Here’s an excerpt:
The Plains
It was mainly a dry week on the Plains. Some improvements were made in North Dakota, eliminating some D0 in the eastern portion of the state. Rain at the end of the current U.S. Drought Monitor period in Kansas allowed for slight improvements to the D0 in the southern portion of the state.
The West
Some precipitation was recorded in New Mexico and into Colorado this past week but for the most part the area was dry and status on the United States Drought Monitor was unchanged for the week.
Looking Ahead
Over the next five days (October 31-November 4) the trend is for a wetter pattern over the eastern half of the United States. As a strong cold front moves eastward, showers and thunderstorms will develop. The greatest precipitation is expected over the Ark-La-Tex region, with amounts up to 4 inches, and through the Midwest, with amounts of 2-3 inches from Missouri up into the Great Lakes. Temperatures will be at to slightly above seasonal normal for most of the area east of the Rocky Mountains, with departures of up to 3 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. The area to the west will be right at normal to slightly below.
The CPC 6-10 day forecast (November 5-November 10) continues with the best chances of above-normal temperatures over the eastern half of the United States and Alaska while the West has good chances of being below normal. Precipitation chances are projected to be the greatest over the Mississippi River Valley as well as portions of the southern Plains. Drier-than-normal conditions can be expected in New England and the Mid Atlantic coast as well as in the southwestern United States.