Click on a thumbnail graphic to view a gallery of drought data from the US Drought Monitor website.
Click the link to go to the US Drought Monitor website. Here’s an excerpt:
This Week’s Drought Summary
Widespread improvements to ongoing areas of abnormal dryness or drought continued across parts of the eastern United States this week as the remnants of Hurricane Debby moved up the Atlantic Coast. Locally over 10 inches of rain fell in parts of the eastern Carolinas, while widespread rain amounts of at least an inch or two (locally much higher) were common through the eastern Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states. In these areas of heavier rains, one- or two-category improvements to ongoing drought or abnormal dryness were widespread. In eastern portions of the Midwest and across much of the Southeast and south-central United States (except for Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle), primarily dry weather prevailed, mostly leading to unchanged or worsening drought or abnormal dryness. Swaths of heavy rain fell in parts of northwest Missouri, Oklahoma, northeast New Mexico, Colorado, and southeast Wyoming, leading to localized improvements in drought or abnormal dryness in these areas. The central and north-central United States were mostly cooler than normal this week, especially from Kansas north into the Dakotas and Minnesota, where temperatures from 6 to 12 degrees below normal were widespread. Near- or warmer-than-normal temperatures were common in the West, with the warmest temperatures of 3 to 9 degrees above normal primarily occurring in California, Nevada, and Utah. The eastern United States saw a mix of above- and below-normal temperatures, though most places finished the week within 3 degrees of normal…
High Plains
Mostly cooler-than-normal weather occurred this week across the High Plains states east of the Continental Divide. Temperatures from Kansas northward into the Dakotas ranged mostly from 6 to 12 degrees below normal. Precipitation amounts varied more widely; parts of southwest Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, and southeast Wyoming saw heavier rains. This led to improvements in drought or dryness where precipitation deficits lessened. Other areas of central and eastern Nebraska, southeast and northeast Kansas, and western North Dakota were drier, leading to development or expansion of drought and abnormal dryness. Mostly dry weather also continued in western South Dakota where moderate and severe drought continued, and continued dry weather may lead to worsening conditions. Western Wyoming also saw expansions of drought conditions along the Idaho border amid continued dry short-term conditions…
West
Mostly warmer-than-normal weather occurred this week across the West, especially in Utah, Nevada, and California—where temperatures were locally 3-9 degrees warmer than normal. West of Utah and Arizona, mostly dry weather occurred, while heavier rains fell in parts of northeast New Mexico and portions of Utah. The locally heavy rains in northeast New Mexico led to local improvements where precipitation deficits lessened in the short- and long-term. Recent rainfall led to local improvements to ongoing short-term moderate drought along the Utah-Colorado border. Elsewhere, scattered degradations occurred in the northern half of the West region. Northeast Montana saw expansion of moderate and severe drought due to short-term precipitation deficits and deficits in streamflow and soil moisture. A few degradations occurred across southern Idaho due to short-term dryness and streamflow deficits. Similar conditions in southeast Oregon and portions of Washington led to degrading conditions…
South
Except for the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma, the South saw primarily dry weather this week. Soil moisture and streamflow dropped in parts of western Tennessee amid growing precipitation deficits, leading to expansion of abnormal dryness and short-term moderate drought there. Similar conditions in Mississippi, portions of Louisiana, and Arkansas led to moderate drought and abnormal dryness expansion. Farther west in Oklahoma, a couple heavy bands of rain fell across central and eastern parts of the state during nighttime thunderstorm complexes. This led to widespread improvements in ongoing drought. A two-category improvement occurred from southern Oklahoma City through Norman, where rainfall amounts of 6 or more inches were common. Heavier rains in the western Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles led to localized improvements where precipitation deficits lessened. Much of Oklahoma and Texas along and just south of the Red River saw short-term dryness intensify, leading to large-scale degradation in drought and abnormal dryness. Temperature anomalies across the region varied north to south. The northern half the region was mostly near normal or cooler than normal (locally 3 or more degrees below normal), while the southern half of the region ranged from near normal up to 3 or more degrees above normal…
Looking Ahead
Through August 19, the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center is forecasting mostly drier weather in the West, aside from some monsoonal moisture in Utah and Arizona and precipitation in northwest parts of Montana and Washington. Heavier rainfall amounts, locally exceeding an inch, are possible primarily east of the Missouri River and along and north of the Ohio River, covering parts of the Midwest and Northeast.
Looking ahead to the period from August 20-24, the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center’s forecast favors below-normal temperatures in the Great Lakes, parts of the Upper Midwest and Northeast. South and west of here, warmer-than-normal temperatures are favored, especially from Arizona and New Mexico through Texas and the Gulf Coast. A small area of below-normal temperatures is favored from northern California through the western halves of Washington and Oregon. Wetter-than-normal weather is slightly favored along the Atlantic Coast, the northwest Great Plains, and the central and northern Rocky Mountains, while higher confidence for wetter-than-normal weather exists from northwest California through northwest Oregon and most of Washington. Warmer-than-normal weather is favored in Hawaii, and above-normal precipitation is favored on the Big Island, while equal chances for above- or below-normal precipitation exist elsewhere in Hawaii. In Alaska, warmer-than-normal temperatures are favored in the southeast, while cooler-than-normal temperatures are more likely in central and western portions of the state. The forecast favors drier-than-normal weather in the southeast half of Alaska, while central and northwest Alaska are more likely to receive above-normal precipitation.
