Drought conditions expanded and intensified across much of the United States through early March 2026, with the Lower Mississippi Valley and Southern Great Plains experiencing typical La Nina winter patterns of worsening dryness acording to the U.S. Drought Monitor. 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, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The Southeast bore the brunt of the drought’s impact, with more than two-thirds of Florida now designated under extreme drought conditions. Severe to extreme drought affects much of the Carolinas, Georgia, southeastern Alabama and Florida, despite some relief from heavy rainfall at the end of February that brought 1 to 3 inches to parts of Alabama, Georgia and the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas.
The drought’s reach extended into the Midwest, where conditions continued deteriorating across the Ohio Valley. Paducah, Kentucky and Carbondale, Illinois recorded their driest meteorological winter on record from December 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026. Precipitation averaged less than half of normal across western Kentucky, southeastern Missouri and much of Indiana and Illinois during the 90-day period.
“The major change this past week was a widespread 1-category degradation to Mississippi and also north-central Oklahoma,” according to the drought report. Impact reports from north-central Oklahoma include poor wheat conditions and surface water supply shortages.
The High Plains region faced additional challenges as periods of unseasonably warm temperatures and enhanced winds led to intensifying drought across northeastern Colorado and Nebraska. Temperatures averaged 6 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit above normal throughout the Great Plains during the 30-day period.
Western states confronted mounting concerns about below-normal snowpack heading into spring. Snow water equivalent measured less than 50 percent of normal from the Cascades of the Pacific Northwest southward through the Great Basin and Four Corners region as of March 3. Even California, which remains drought-free, reported statewide snow water equivalent at just 59 percent of normal.
The Northeast maintained steady drought coverage and intensity, with 12 and 24-month precipitation deficits exceeding 8 and 16 inches respectively across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
A major pattern change was forecast to bring multiple low pressure systems across the Great Plains and Midwest during early to mid-March. Heavy precipitation of 1 to 3 inches was expected from eastern Texas and southeastern Oklahoma northeast through the Lower to Middle Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, potentially providing relief to drought-stricken areas.
The National Weather Service’s 6-10 day outlook favored above-normal precipitation from the Mississippi Valley to the East Coast, offering hope for improvement in some of the hardest-hit regions.
