Nationwide
[inline_image file=”3debec79064b84ac0fa96cb4d43527dd.jpg” caption=”20201013_usdm.jpg”]
A dry pattern continued this past week over large portions of the continental United States, with a few exceptions being areas impacted by Hurricane Delta or its remnants, parts of the Upper Midwest and middle Missouri River Valley, and parts of the Northeast.
In areas of the Northeast that received an inch or two of rain, some improvements were made in the ongoing drought areas. As a storm system and associated cold front brought showers and thunderstorms to parts of the Middle and Upper Missouri River Valley and to the Upper Midwest, some improvements were made to the ongoing drought. Abnormal dryness abated in a few Louisiana and Mississippi areas, which received copious rainfall from Hurricane Delta.
Degradations or persistence of ongoing drought was common in parts of the Midwest, Great Plains, and West that received little or no precipitation this week.
Temperatures this week were warmer than average across most of the Lower 48. The central Great Plains and middle Missouri River Valley were the warmest than usual, with temperatures from 9 to 12 degrees above normal common.
New England experienced milder conditions this week, with a few below-normal readings in northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
The West
[inline_image file=”20097c9a46bde13680ac6464a3cf4bf6.jpg” caption=”20201013_West_trd.jpg”]
The West generally experienced warmer than average temperatures again this week, with most areas coming in between 3 and 9 degrees above normal for the week.
Generally, the southern half of the region stayed dry, while some precipitation occurred over the north, particularly in far northwest California, western Washington and Oregon, western Wyoming, and western portions of Montana and Idaho.
Due to recent precipitation, extreme drought in western Oregon was reduced in coverage. In southwest Oregon, where short- and long-term precipitation deficits were worsening, severe and extreme drought increased in range.
Extreme drought also increased its foothold in west-central Nevada, where soil moisture profiles continued to worsen along with short- and long-term precipitation deficits.
The High Plains
[inline_image file=”7fc1e77902a861f7fb65606415f27096.jpg” caption=”20201013_High_Plains_trd.jpg”]
Drier than normal conditions continued across much of the High Plains region, where temperatures were generally 6 to 12 degrees warmer than average.
Consequently, as short- and long-term precipitation deficits grew amid warmer than normal weather and near-surface moisture and agricultural impacts worsened, widespread degradation in drought conditions occurred.
Moderate, severe, and extreme drought coverage increased across most of the region, except for northeast Nebraska and adjacent portions of Iowa and South Dakota, where a storm system brought locally high amounts of rain. In the areas with the highest rainfall, short-term precipitation deficits improved enough such that extreme and severe drought decreased in coverage. — UNL Drought Monitor
[inline_image file=”7d74dd4426ae26c3782cad75c664eab7.png” caption=”Pasture Oct 11.PNG”]
[inline_image file=”5c275115990bbc2a5778f6d8eee8a622.png” caption=”814temp.new (2).gif”]
[inline_image file=”55501154896e14cd85fbafb96ff7a9e3.png” caption=”814prcp.new (3).gif”]
