Recent rainfall brought scattered drought relief to parts of the Midwest and High Plains, but benefits were uneven, with many areas still facing abnormally dry to extreme drought conditions. Above-normal temperatures across most of the continental U.S. continue to compound drought problems.
- Heavy rain fell in western Kentucky, central-to-north Missouri, northwestern Iowa, northern Minnesota, and central Wisconsin, removing abnormally dry conditions.
- Northern Illinois, Indiana, southern Missouri, and northern Wisconsin experienced little to no rain, with some areas seeing new abnormally dry designations.
- Exceptional drought, the most severe category, persists over central Colorado and far western Nebraska.
- Temperatures ran more than 10 degrees above normal in the southern Great Plains and lower Mississippi valley, intensifying drought stress.
- The 6- to 10-day outlook favors above-normal temperatures with below-normal rainfall in the central U.S. and upper Midwest.
Significant rainfall brought welcome drought relief to parts of the Midwest and High Plains over the past week, but the benefits were scattered and uneven, leaving many areas still struggling with dry 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.
Midwest sees spotty improvement
Heavy rain fell across western Kentucky and central-to-north Missouri, removing abnormally dry conditions in those areas. Northwestern Iowa, northern Minnesota and a band across central Wisconsin also received substantial precipitation, leading to drought improvement.
But the rain didn’t reach everywhere it was needed. Northern Illinois and Indiana went mostly rain-free for the week, prompting officials to introduce a new abnormally dry area in the region.
Extreme drought conditions continue to grip southern Missouri, northern Wisconsin and areas along the Minnesota borders with both Wisconsin and North Dakota.
High Plains shows split pattern
Eastern portions of the High Plains fared better than western areas. Eastern Kansas saw above normal precipitation over the past week, which improved drought conditions. Eastern Nebraska and eastern South Dakota also received decent rainfall with similar improvements.
Other parts of South Dakota that missed the rain experienced drought degradation. Colorado showed a mixed picture, with the center part of the state seeing conditions worsen while both the southwest and southeast portions improved.
Extreme drought continues over much of Colorado and Wyoming, western Nebraska and the Dakotas, and in eastern North Dakota. Exceptional drought, the most severe category, is observed over much of central Colorado and two localized areas in far western Nebraska.
Heat compounds problems
Temperatures in the southern Great Plains and lower Mississippi valley continued to run very warm, with some locations registering more than 10 degrees above normal. Most of the rest of the continental U.S. also saw above normal temperatures. Only northern New England and most of the northwest states experienced below normal temperatures for the past week.
Forecast offers limited hope
The outlook for the next five days shows above normal rainfall forecast for a large area in southern Wisconsin and Minnesota into eastern Iowa and northern Illinois. That precipitation is expected to continue east through central Michigan, the southern Great Lakes, Pennsylvania, New York and much of central and southern New England.
Other locations expecting rain include the Appalachian Mountains, the western Great Plains and the Four Corners states.
The 6- to 10-day outlook favors above normal temperatures continuing over nearly all of the continental United States, with the central U.S. into the upper Midwest likely to see below normal rainfall during this period.
