Click here to go to the US Drought Monitor website. Here’s an excerpt:
Summary
Unsettled, cold weather across the eastern half of the country contrasted with mostly dry, warm weather from the Great Plains to the Pacific Coast. Rain and northern snow fell from the central Gulf Coast into New England, though the heaviest precipitation fell outside of the driest areas. Meanwhile, unseasonably warm, locally hot conditions across Texas renewed concerns over dryness and rapidly-developing drought. Likewise, warm, dry weather returned to the West’s core drought areas following recent beneficial rain and mountain snow. However, locally heavy precipitation continued in parts of the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies…
Central Plains
Sunny skies and above-normal temperatures prevailed across this drought-free region. However, pockets of short-term dryness are being monitored from southeastern Colorado into southern Kansas…
Northern Plains
Spring-like warmth was observed over the northern Plains. While precipitation was observed across much of the region, amounts were insufficient to offer relief from Abnormal Dryness (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1)…
Southern Plains and Texas
Increasingly warm, locally hot weather coupled with a lack of rain resulted in rapidly increasing Abnormal Dryness (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) over much of central and southern Texas. Temperatures averaged locally more than 10°F above normal, with daytime highs topping 80°F across much of the state; readings eclipsed 90°F in far southern Texas, establishing record high temperatures for the date in some locations. Over the past 60 days, precipitation has totaled less than 50 percent of normal (locally less than 25 percent) across the state’s new D1 areas, with the most widespread pronounced short-term deficits noted just north of Austin…
Western U.S.
Drier- and warmer-than-normal conditions overspread much of the West, with precipitation confined to the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies. Despite the mostly favorable Water Year precipitation to date, the warmth and dryness renewed concerns of early snowmelt in the mountains; however, rain and mountain snow were returning at the end of the weekly drought assessment period (which ends Tuesday morning, 7 a.m., EST).
In northern portions of the region, additional rain and mountain snow continued the favorable Water Year and resulted in further drought reductions in southwestern Oregon and western Montana. Mountain Snow Water Equivalents (SWE) continued to improve in western Montana; however, SWE values remain below average east of Flathead Lake, and the eastern slopes of the northern Rockies will need to be closely monitored over the coming weeks. Likewise, snowpack SWE remain unfavorably low in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains (50-70 percent of average) and River Range (60-75 percent of average, but locally less than 50 percent). These areas too will need to be followed closely throughout the second half of the Water Year.
Farther south, there were no changes to the drought depiction from the Great Basin into the Four Corners Region. In the areas of Moderate to Severe Drought (D1 and D2) around Great Salt Lake, precipitation since the beginning of the Water Year has been generally favorable, with mountain SWE currently near to above average. However, reservoir storage in these aforementioned areas hovered near or below 60 percent of average for the date, reflecting the lingering impacts of the region’s long-term drought.
In the core western drought areas of California and western Nevada, dry, warm weather during the period resulted in no change to this week’s drought depiction. While much of the region has experienced favorable precipitation during the 2015-16 Water Year — and subsequent removal of the “S” (short-term) drought Impact Type — considerable long-term (L) impacts remain. Furthermore, there are notable pockets of short-term dryness over central and southern California contributing to the long-term drought signal. While current SWE in the Sierra Nevada are near to above average, most reservoirs on either side of the mountains remain well below average. Adding to the drought are localized areas where it has been a drier-than-normal Water Year to date; counties near and west of Sacramento have averaged 60 to 75 percent of normal precipitation since October 1, while coastal locales from Los Angeles north to Santa Barbara have reported on average 35 to 50 percent of normal rainfall during the current Water Year…
Looking Ahead
Mild weather will expand to cover much of the nation, including the previously cold eastern U.S. Warm weather will continue to set high-temperature records across the nation’s mid-section, with warmth peaking in many areas on February 18. On that date, high temperatures could reach 90°F on the southern High Plains. At the height of the southern Plains’ warm spell, gusty winds and dry conditions will lead to an enhanced risk of wildfires. Dry weather will prevail during the next 5 days across the Deep South, as well as the central and southern Plains. In contrast, precipitation totaling 2 to 6 inches — much of which will fall on February 17-18 — can be expected in parts of northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Toward week’s end, snow can be expected from the upper Great Lakes into northern New England, while rain showers will develop from the mid-South into the Ohio Valley. The NWS 6- to 10-day outlook for February 23 – 27 calls for above-normal temperatures across much of the western and central U.S., with cooler-than-normal conditions largely confined to the Southeast. Meanwhile, below-normal precipitation is anticipated from southern California and the Great Basin eastward into the Corn Belt and Great Lakes, encompassing the Rockies and Plains. Wetter-than-normal conditions will be confined to coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest and from the eastern Gulf Coast States into New England.