Click here to go to the US Drought Monitor website. Here’s an excerpt:
Summary
An unsettled, somewhat milder weather pattern developed over the nation, with locally heavy rain in parts of the south affording some drought relief. Farther east, showers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast mostly prevented expansion of abnormal dryness, though rain largely bypassed southern Pennsylvania during the period. Locally heavy downpours eased drought in the southeastern Plains. In contrast, the West’s core drought areas remained dry, though additional heavy rain and mountain snow were observed in parts of the Northwest…
Central Plains
Despite a mostly dry, warmer week, the drought depiction over the central Plains remained unchanged. Long-term drought remained entrenched over the central High Plains, where precipitation dating back 36 months has tallied 60 to 75 percent of normal…
Southern Plains and Texas
Dry weather in western portions of the region contrasted with locally heavy downpours in the east. The drought depiction over the southern High Plains remained unchanged, with widespread Severe (D2) to Extreme (D3) drought noted from western Kansas into northern Texas. Farther east, moderate to heavy rain was noted in south-central Oklahoma, with numerous reports of 3 to more than 5 inches west of Lake Texoma. Likewise, moderate to heavy rainfall (1 to 6 inches) was noted across much of central and eastern Texas, with the highest concentration of heavy rain near San Antonio and Austin. Consequently, there were widespread reductions to drought intensity and coverage in the areas where rain was heaviest…
Western U.S.
Unsettled conditions in the north contrasted with ongoing drought elsewhere. Despite the northern precipitation, there were no changes to the drought depiction as experts in the field await further information regarding the potential benefits of the precipitation. Farther south, additional drought increases were likewise put on hold as all eyes turn toward the much-anticipated arrival of moisture later in the upcoming period.
For the second consecutive week, a steady plume of Pacific moisture produced 1 to more than 4 inches (liquid equivalent) of precipitation in northern portions of the Cascade Range, with lesser totals (0.5 to 1.6 inches liquid equivalent) noted farther east in the northern Rockies. Despite the beneficial moisture, the drought areas of southwestern Oregon are still contending with the impacts of last season’s poor end to the Water Year; 12-month precipitation averaged 65 to 85 percent of normal in the state’s remaining drought areas, though deficits diminished somewhat.
Despite a southward shift of the precipitation over the period, the moisture during the week not sufficient to afford drought relief to California. The rain, which tallied locally more than 2 inches in northern California, will certainly benefit pastures and begin the process of aiding reservoirs. However, the moisture still fell well short of what is needed to ease the impacts of a three-year drought. In the core Extreme (D3) to Exceptional (D4) Drought areas north of Sacramento (where the bulk of this week’s rain fell), the 36-month precipitation averaged 60 to 75 percent of normal. Farther south, the abysmal start to the current Water Year (which began October 1) continued; rainfall to-date (since October 1) has totaled 20 to 50 percent of normal in the Exceptional Drought (D4) areas around San Francisco, and locally less than 20 percent of normal in the D4 around Los Angeles. Likewise, the dry, mostly mild start to the winter has left snowpacks in the Sierra Nevada well short of normal.
In the Great Basin and Four Corners, there were no changes to this week’s drought depiction despite the very poor start to the current Water Year, particularly in western portions of the region. The season’s poor initial prospects are reflected by season-to-date (since October 1) precipitation, which has totaled locally less than 10 percent of normal in the Great Basin and western portions of the central and southern Rockies, with most areas reporting less than 30 percent of normal. Changes to the drought depiction across much of the west are typically slow to occur during the early part of winter, as the development of the Water Year will be crucial to the region’s drought relief (or development) prospects…
Looking Ahead
An East Coast storm will disrupt holiday travel but provide additional, soaking rainfall to the Southeast while rain and snow fall over the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. In the middle of the country, some snow is expected across the Upper Midwest and northern Plains, while dry weather prevails elsewhere. Out west, periods of rain and mountain snow will continue across the northern Rockies and Northwest. Meanwhile, much of California and the western Great Basin may receive rain and mountain snow from a late-week storm system, while unfavorably dry conditions prevail in the Four Corners region. The NWS 6- to 10-day outlook for December 1–5 calls for near- to above-normal temperatures nationwide, except for colder-than-normal conditions across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Meanwhile, above-normal precipitation in the eastern and western U.S., including California, will contrast with drier-than-normal weather across central and southern portions of the Rockies and Plains.