Heavy precipitation across California has nearly eliminated drought conditions, but dryness and drought expanded in parts of the Southeast and Texas, according to the latest U.S. drought 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.
After several warm, dry weeks, California received widespread rainfall, with many areas recording at least 1.5 inches and some mountain locations seeing up to 10 inches of liquid-equivalent precipitation. Despite significant snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, the overall snowpack remains below normal. This precipitation has improved conditions across much of the West Coast, with California nearly free of drought.
In contrast, dryness and drought worsened in the Southeast, particularly in southern Georgia and Florida, where extreme drought (D3) now covers large areas. The southern Appalachians and eastern Carolinas also saw deterioration. Precipitation deficits over the past three months reached 6 to 12 inches in parts of North Carolina and Georgia, with some Florida locations receiving less than 25% of normal rainfall.
Texas experienced expanding exceptional drought (D4) in Jim Hogg and Brooks Counties, with severe to extreme drought spreading across south-central and Deep South Texas, northeastern Arkansas, and parts of Oklahoma. The western Oklahoma Panhandle and southwestern Texas also reported less than two inches of precipitation over 90 days.
The Midwest saw mixed conditions, with deterioration in northern Illinois, Iowa, and southern Minnesota due to minimal precipitation, while central and southern Missouri experienced improvements from moderate rainfall.
The High Plains experienced drought expansion in Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota, with severe drought widespread from western Nebraska across southern Wyoming and northern Colorado.
The Northeast remained largely unchanged, with drought persisting and a new area of extreme drought (D3) introduced in northern New Jersey.
In the Pacific, Alaska’s drought conditions remained stable, while Hawaii saw improvements with dryness removed from parts of Maui and the Big Island.
Looking ahead, heavy precipitation is forecast along the West Coast, particularly in California and the Cascades, with snow expected in higher elevations. Moderate to heavy rainfall is also expected in parts of the northern Great Lakes, Deep South, and central New England. Meanwhile, warmer-than-normal temperatures are forecast for much of the Southwest and Plains, with colder conditions expected in northern Plains and parts of northern California.
The 6- to 10-day outlook suggests below-normal precipitation across the southern U.S. and Florida, while wetter conditions are favored in the mid-Atlantic, central Plains, and parts of the Desert Southwest. Temperatures are expected to be above normal across much of the central and eastern U.S., with colder weather favored in Alaska and parts of the West Coast.
