Click here to go to the US Drought Monitor website. Here’s an excerpt:
The Rockies Westward to The Pacific Coast
A reassessment of conditions prompted the removal of extreme drought from near Kiowa County in Colorado. Recent conditions have been dry, but a wet period from Mid-July to Mid-October has mitigated the impacts, do the area is now designated at D2 (severe drought), more consistent with impacts reported by local extension agents.Dry conditions have persisted across California and Oregon, so D1 (moderate drought) was expanded across much of western Oregon and D2 (severe drought) was expanded across much of northern California. According to the California Department of Water Resources, Lake Shasta is currently at just 58 percent of average for this time of year (37 percent of capacity).
Looking Ahead
During Jan 1 – 5, moderate precipitation (up to 1.8 inches locally) is forecast across the Gulf coast with lighter amounts through the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys. Snowfall is also likely across the Great Lakes and Northeast. Elsewhere, light precipitation at most is forecast for the remainder of the contiguous 48 states.For the ensuing 5 days (Jan 6-10), the odds favor above-median precipitation from the northern Rockies to the central and southern Great Plains, as well as the Great Lakes and Northeast. Dry conditions are favored across the southwest and eastern Alaska. A storm track into western Alaska should result in above-median precipitation.