Nationwide
During the late week and weekend, a large severe weather outbreak brought large hail, damaging winds and numerous intense tornadoes to parts of the central and southern Great Plains and Midwest.
{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”e0b0f47a-08ab-11ef-ab80-83920404875d”}}
The storm systems responsible for the severe weather outbreak also brought widespread moderate and heavy rain amounts to the central U.S., leading to widespread improvements in drought and abnormally dry conditions. To the southwest of the heavy rainfall, in northwest Oklahoma and southwest and central Kansas, severe drought expanded as flash drought continued to take hold during a very dry late winter and early-mid spring, leading to reports of very poor wheat conditions and dust storms.
Recent dry weather over the last month, combined with a mostly dry week, led to the development of more areas of abnormal dryness and moderate drought over scattered parts of the Southeast, Tennessee and southeast Kentucky. Conditions mostly remained unchanged in the western U.S. However, a few improvements occurred in Colorado and Utah after recent precipitation. In contrast, conditions worsened in parts of southeast Montana, the Black Hills region of South Dakota and adjacent northeast Wyoming amid recent dry weather.
The West
Weather conditions were variable across the West this week. Precipitation amounts from 0.5 to 2 inches (locally higher) fell in western parts of Washington and Oregon. Elsewhere, precipitation amounts varied from none to locally up to 2 inches, especially in some high-elevation areas.
{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”df8ec75c-08ab-11ef-8b81-531ce465b0ac”}}
Temperatures were mostly near normal or a couple of degrees below normal in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and western New Mexico, while near-normal or warmer-than-normal temperatures prevailed elsewhere. Drought conditions remained mostly unchanged across the region. In northeast Utah, abnormal dryness and moderate drought were reduced in coverage after recent wet weather and low evaporative demand.
In southeast Montana, moderate drought grew in coverage as short-term precipitation deficits grew alongside decreasing streamflow and soil moisture.
The High Plains
Moderate to heavy precipitation fell across much of the High Plains region this week, excluding central and southwest Kansas, northeast Wyoming and southeast Colorado.
{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”df1a0034-08ab-11ef-a02d-03801ce69b6b”}}
Mainly warmer-than-normal temperatures occurred in Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and the western Dakotas, while elsewhere, temperatures were mostly within a couple of degrees of normal. While the storms responsible for the rain brought damaging hail and tornadoes in parts of the region, the rainfall helped to alleviate drought conditions in many areas. Eastern Kansas and Nebraska saw improvements in some areas, with parts of southeast Kansas seeing two-category improvements in the areas of heaviest rainfall.
Meanwhile, in tandem with severe drought expansion in northwest Oklahoma, severe drought conditions expanded in central and southwest Kansas after another mostly dry week. Flash drought conditions in this region have led to dust storms and very poor wheat conditions.
The South
Weather conditions varied widely across the South region this week. Heavy rain fell in parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, while other areas remained mostly or completely dry.
{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”ddfc194e-08ab-11ef-9415-977fff31e54e”}}
Temperatures were mostly warmer than normal across the region, especially in Oklahoma and Texas, where weekly readings came in 4-8 degrees above normal, with a few local readings even warmer than that. A few spots in central Texas and the Trans-Pecos region saw improvements to drought or abnormally dry conditions after recent rainfall. In eastern and parts of northern Oklahoma, recent heavy rainfall led to improving conditions.
Meanwhile, short-term dryness continued in Tennessee, leading to the expansion of moderate drought and abnormal dryness in eastern Tennessee and the expansion of abnormal dryness in western parts of the state. Flash drought continued to worsen in parts of northwest Oklahoma and adjacent portions of the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, where severe drought expanded amid quickly drying soils and growing short-term precipitation deficits. — UNL Drought Monitor
{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”dafdef38-08ab-11ef-93fe-ff687aafe687″}}
{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”d61b4114-08ab-11ef-b47c-b335405c2b4f”}}
{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”e7678c34-08ab-11ef-a0af-c7f291923f00″}}
