The United States experienced a more active weather week, with significant precipitation across the central Plains, Midwest and Southeast, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor summary. The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Parts of Mississippi and Alabama received more than 5 inches of rain, with much of the central Plains and Midwest seeing rain instead of snow due to unseasonably warm temperatures. This helped slow drought intensification and led to localized improvements, particularly in the Southwest and central Rocky Mountains.
Temperatures were warmer than normal across most of the country, with the upper Midwest and northern Plains experiencing the largest departures—15 to 20 degrees above average. The West and Southwest saw near- to slightly below-normal temperatures.
In the Northeast, drought conditions improved in western and central New York and northern Pennsylvania but worsened in southern areas including southern Connecticut and southern Virginia. The Southeast saw drought improvements from west-central Alabama through western North Carolina, while drought expanded in central and eastern North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and parts of Florida.
The South experienced drought relief in Mississippi, southern Louisiana, and eastern Tennessee, but drought expanded in Arkansas and eastern and southern Texas, with extreme drought growing in south and northeast Texas.
The Midwest benefited from above-normal rainfall, improving drought in Wisconsin, Michigan, and parts of Illinois and Missouri, though southern Missouri saw drought expansion. The High Plains had mixed results, with improvements in southeast Nebraska and eastern Kansas but drought growth in eastern Wyoming and western South Dakota.
In the West, precipitation improved drought in parts of Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and Arizona, but drought worsened in southwest Idaho, northern Nevada, and central Colorado.
Caribbean islands showed varied conditions. Puerto Rico saw improvements in abnormally dry areas. The U.S. Virgin Islands remain abnormally dry to moderately drought-affected, with rising water levels indicating persistent dryness. Pacific islands including Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, and Palau mostly remain drought-free due to recent rains.
Looking ahead, dry conditions are expected over much of the western U.S. and Plains, with wetter weather anticipated in the Great Lakes and Northeast. Temperatures will be well above normal in the West and below normal in the eastern half of the country, including the upper Midwest and Southeast.
