Nationwide
Dry weather continued this week across much of the central U.S., especially from the southern Great Plains to the Mississippi River Valley and Corn Belt.
Flash drought conditions were occurring across a large area spanning from Texas northeastward to Oklahoma and southern Kansas, southern Missouri, Arkansas, northern Mississippi and portions of far western Tennessee. Because most of these areas were drier and warmer than normal, drought and abnormal dryness expanded and intensified, with widespread adverse impacts to agriculture and continued fire danger in some areas. Widespread showers and thunderstorms, some locally heavy, dotted parts of the Northeast and Southeast, leading to localized improvements in ongoing drought or abnormal dryness. Some areas that missed out on the rains saw conditions worsen.
Hot, dry weather continued near the borders of the Dakotas and Minnesota, worsening drought conditions. Some areas saw widespread improvements, including parts of Wyoming and eastern Colorado, northeast into the Nebraska Sandhills, and southern South Dakota, where either heavy rainfall this week improved conditions or conditions were reassessed after recent heavier rains. Recent hot, dry weather, combined with a lack of winter snowpack, expanded moderate drought in northern California.
The West
Locally heavy rains from the North American Monsoon fell in parts of Arizona, Utah and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
Parts of Colorado west of the Front Range saw conditions improve after recent rainfall, though widespread short- and long-term drought remained across central and western Colorado. In a few areas in south-central and southwest Colorado that missed out on heavier rains, long-term precipitation deficits worsened. Temperatures from 4–6 degrees above normal also kept atmospheric thirst high, and extreme and exceptional drought locally expanded. Short-term precipitation deficits and poor streamflow in some areas led to drought degradation in parts of the Idaho Panhandle, the Spokane, WA, area, and nearby northwest Montana.
Short-term dryness and warmth in northern California expanded moderate drought there. Moderate drought locally expanded in north-central Montana where short-term rainfall deficits grew, and soil moisture declined in a few areas. Recent precipitation in southwest Montana improved mid- to long-term precipitation deficits and overall conditions, and moderate drought coverage decreased. Recent precipitation in western Utah helped to lessen long-term precipitation deficits, and extreme drought coverage lessened slightly. Temperatures were warmer than normal across much of the West, except in western Nevada and far northern California through Oregon and Washington. In the rest of the region, temperatures were mostly at least 2-4 degrees above normal, with many areas 4-10 degrees warmer than normal.
The High Plains
A swath of 0.5-2 inches of rain fell from parts of western Nebraska and western Kansas into portions of Colorado and Wyoming. Scattered similar rain amounts also fell in portions of east-central and northern South Dakota, as well as in parts of central and western North Dakota.
This week, the impacts of recent rainfall in southern South Dakota and the Nebraska Sandhills were re-evaluated, and widespread improvements were made as soil moisture and streamflow improved locally while short-term rainfall deficits eased. Long-term precipitation deficits and their impacts continued across much of this region, and abnormal dryness and long-term moderate drought remained.
Scattered drought improvements also occurred from southern and eastern Wyoming into the western Dakotas and much of eastern Colorado. Short-term precipitation deficits improved in these areas, with some improvement in soil moisture and streamflow, leading to improvements in drought conditions. Streamflow remains low across portions of the western High Plains region because of poor high-elevation snows and warm temperatures during the water year. Temperatures across the region were hotter than normal, especially in Kansas, where temperatures ranged mostly from 6-10 degrees above normal, resulting in high atmospheric demand for moisture in southeast Kansas.
The South
Widespread expansion or worsening of ongoing drought or abnormal dryness occurred across the South, especially in parts of Mississippi, Texas, eastern Oklahoma and portions of Arkansas.
Heavier rains, locally over 2 inches, fell in southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi. Otherwise, weather conditions were mostly drier, with many areas receiving less than a half inch of rainfall and some receiving none at all. Temperatures were warmer than normal across most of the region, especially in Oklahoma and the northern half of Texas, where temperatures were 6-10 degrees hotter than normal. This continued a very hot August across much of Oklahoma. Drought conditions worsened, especially in southwestern and northern Texas, deep south Texas, northern Mississippi and eastern Oklahoma, as ongoing hot, dry weather worsened conditions in areas already suffering a myriad of drought impacts.Â
Burn bans were enacted across much of western Oklahoma, while Oxford, MS, residents were asked to conserve water due to high water demand and recent extreme heat. Streamflow across much of central and western Oklahoma and northern Texas was quite low, along with low soil moisture and intense short-term precipitation deficits. — UNL Drought Monitor
