Click here to go to the US Drought Monitor website. Here’s an excerpt:
Summary
This U.S. Drought Monitor week saw improvements in drought conditions across parts of the Midwest, South, Southern Plains, and portions of the West. Starting late last week, a broad, slow-moving frontal system impacted the Central and Southern Plains as well as Texas. The system delivered mixed precipitation (freezing rain, sleet) including locally heavy rainfall accumulations (two-to-eight plus inches) to portions of Oklahoma and Texas – thus, eliminating remaining areas of drought on the map in both states. Moving northward, areas of the Northern Plains and portions of the Upper Midwest received locally heavy snowfall accumulations (six-to-ten inches) including eastern South Dakota while portions of Minnesota received two-to-eight inches of snow. In the West, conditions have steadily improved during the past twelve months in the desert Southwest leading to removal of remaining areas of drought on the map in northwestern New Mexico as well as continued improvement in northeastern Arizona. Removal of the remaining areas of drought in New Mexico marked the first time since November 23, 2010 that New Mexico was drought-free on the map. Despite overall improvements in the region, lingering longer-term hydrologic impacts remain in the managed reservoir systems including Arizona’s Salt and Verde River as well as the Lower Rio Grande of New Mexico. Elsewhere in the West, cold temperatures dominated during the past week with temperatures plummeting from five-to-twenty degrees below normal across the Far West, Great Basin, Northern Rockies, and western portions of the Southwest. In California and Nevada, the snow season has begun favorably with Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) SNOTEL stations in the Central Sierras, Ruby Mountains, and the headwater region of the Humboldt River Basin in northeastern Nevada currently reporting average to above average snowpack conditions. In the Cascades of Oregon and Washington and the Northern Rockies, snowpack conditions are below normal…
The Plains
Across the Plains, improvements were made on the map in areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) in southwestern South Dakota and in areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) in Kansas and Oklahoma. This week’s storm events in Oklahoma and Kansas helped to remove short-term precipitation deficits, improve soil moisture, and enhance streamflow activity. In Oklahoma, this week’s precipitation led to the removal of all drought conditions statewide from the map. Temperatures were generally below normal across the western two-thirds of the region and slightly above normal in eastern portions…
The West
During the past week, average temperatures were well below normal across much of the West with the exception of southeastern Arizona, western New Mexico, and parts of Colorado. Elsewhere, record low temperatures were reported in California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. In the Sierras, light-to-moderate snowfall accumulations (generally less than nine inches) were observed late last week and into the weekend. Across the West, current snowpack conditions are above normal in portions of the central Sierra, Great Basin ranges, southeastern and southwestern Utah, and in areas of the southern Rockies. Below normal snowpack conditions are present in the Uintah and Wasatch of Utah, across much of the northern Rockies, and in the Cascades of Oregon and Washington. On this week’s map, improvements were made in areas of Moderate Drought (D1) in northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico where drought-related conditions continue to abate as nearly all objective indicators point toward improvement. This week’s removal of the remaining area of Moderate Drought (D1) marks the first time New Mexico has been out of drought on the map since November 23, 2010. It should be emphasized, however, that the managed hydrologic systems have not fully recovered and that some of the state’s reservoirs remain below normal. In central and west-central Utah, areas of Moderate Drought (D1) and Severe Drought (D2) saw minor improvements as slow recovery in these areas continues. In central Utah, NRCS SNOTEL stations are reporting slightly above average snowpack conditions to date. In the central Rockies of Colorado, areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) were reduced as early season snowpack data supports improvement…
Looking Ahead
The NWS WPC 7-Day Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF) calls for significant precipitation totals (ranging from six-to-sixteen inches) in coastal northern California, Oregon, and Washington with coastal areas of Washington expected to receive the greatest accumulations. Otherwise, more meager accumulations are forecasted for the Northern Rockies of Idaho and northern portions of the Sierras; the remainder of the West will be generally dry. In the eastern tier, heaviest precipitation accumulations (one-to-four inches) are forecasted for parts of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. The CPC 6–10 day outlooks call for a high probability of above normal temperatures across nearly the entire continental U.S., with the exception of normal temperatures in southern New Mexico and Texas. Across most of the West, with the exception of the Pacific Northwest and extreme northern California, there is a high probably of below normal precipitation. Below normal precipitation is forecasted to extend across the Central and Northern Plains as well as across the Midwest into the Northeast. In contrast, portions of the Southeast, Southern Plains, and Texas have a high probability of above normal precipitation.