Heavy rainfall brought significant drought relief to large portions of the Midwest this past week, while the High Plains experienced scattered improvements amid ongoing extreme conditions, 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.
The most substantial precipitation fell in a wide band from Iowa through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and into eastern Kentucky. Central Illinois and Indiana recorded more than 5 inches of rainfall, with some areas of eastern Indiana receiving over a foot during the week.
Midwest sees dramatic improvements
The deluge eliminated all abnormally dry areas in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, along with most of Illinois. Eastern Kentucky experienced a two-category improvement thanks to heavy rainfall from storm tracks moving across the region.
Iowa, Illinois and northern Missouri also saw drought conditions improve. However, southern Missouri moved in the opposite direction, with degradation occurring due to warm temperatures and little precipitation.
Further north, the picture was less encouraging. Michigan and Wisconsin experienced moderate drought degradation with minimal rainfall during the week. Minnesota had more scattered precipitation, resulting in small pockets of both improvement and deterioration. An area of extreme drought persists in northern Wisconsin.
High Plains experience varied conditions
The High Plains states showed a mixed bag of results during the past week. Eastern Colorado and Wyoming, along with Nebraska and northern Kansas, received welcome rainfall that led to drought improvements across these areas.
Southern Kansas, however, faced drought degradation from flash drought conditions brought on by warm and dry weather. South Dakota remained largely unchanged from the previous week.
North Dakota was mostly dry, leading to worsening drought conditions across much of the state. Two areas in the southwest and northwest portions of North Dakota received some rainfall and saw drought improvement.
Extreme drought continues over western South Dakota and western Nebraska, extending into much of Wyoming and central and western Colorado. Exceptional drought locations remain in western Nebraska and parts of Colorado.
South continues to suffer
The southern U.S. saw declining conditions across all states during the past week. High pressure over the region resulted in unusually warm temperatures and almost no precipitation.
Flash drought conditions have led to dry ponds and creeks and poor to very poor crop conditions in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Extreme to exceptional drought conditions continue in western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, as well as southeastern Arkansas.
The only bright spot was eastern Tennessee, where significant rainfall brought drought improvement.
Looking ahead
The forecast for the next five days calls for above-normal rainfall east of the Interstate 95 corridor along the Atlantic coast. Eastern Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania could see wet conditions, as well as northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The six- to 10-day outlook favors above-normal precipitation across the northern half of the Eastern Seaboard from South Carolina to the eastern Great Lakes region and into New England. Below-normal rainfall is expected over much of Texas.
Temperatures are likely to run well above normal over much of the continental U.S., with the exception of the far West Coast and the eastern Great Lakes to Mid-Atlantic region.
