Exceptional drought expanded to cover nearly half of Arkansas and worsened across Louisiana, Mississippi, southeastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. The U.S. Drought Monitor is produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.
Arkansas area in exceptional drought, the most severe category, rose to 49.53% from 39.72% a week earlier, according to Drought Monitor state statistics. Exceptional drought in Louisiana rose to 18.86% from 16.13%, and extreme or worse drought in Mississippi climbed to 46.46% from 38.35%. Citing the National Centers for Environmental Information, the Drought Monitor said these states would need 20 to 30 inches of rain over three months to end the exceptional drought.
Nationally, the picture improved. Drought covered 41.68% of the contiguous U.S. on the map, which reflects data through Nov. 10, down from 43.98% a week earlier and 49.49% two weeks ago, according to national statistics. Exceptional drought nationwide edged up to 1.84% from 1.60%.
The eastern Corn Belt moved the wrong way. The Drought Monitor said dry conditions intensified from Illinois into the southern half of Lower Michigan. Illinois area in moderate or worse drought rose to 42.86% from 37.73%, and severe drought more than doubled to 16.5% from 8.87%. Drought in Indiana grew to 33.17% from 24.22% and in Michigan to 45.86% from 35.54%. Rainfall was not enough to improve drought across most of southern Missouri, where coverage held near 53%.
Moderate drought was introduced from western New York into far northeastern Ohio, and abnormal dryness spread through parts of Pennsylvania and central New York.
Heavy rain brought relief elsewhere. Several inches fell across Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin and parts of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, cutting Minnesota's drought coverage to 7.37% from 27.78%, though long-term deficits remain in eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. Up to 9 inches fell in South Texas, and Texas drought coverage fell to 54.01% from 60.83%. Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Ohio and much of western and central Tennessee also improved.
The High Plains saw little change, with spotty improvement in eastern South Dakota, northeastern Nebraska and southwestern Kansas. In the West, El Niño-driven rain has produced near-record soil wetness and rapidly filling reservoirs, though Lake Powell remains at 42% of average storage for this time of year.
The Mid-South dryness comes as low water on the Mississippi River has strained barge capacity and lifted rates, according to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Grain Transportation Report. The next Drought Monitor map is due Nov. 19.
