Nationwide
Widespread improvements to ongoing areas of abnormal dryness or drought continued across parts of the eastern United States this week as the remnants of Hurricane Debby moved up the Atlantic Coast.
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Over 10 inches of rain fell locally in parts of the eastern Carolinas, while widespread rain amounts of at least an inch or two (locally much higher) were common through the eastern Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states. In these areas of heavier rains, one—or two-category improvements to ongoing drought or abnormal dryness were widespread.
In eastern portions of the Midwest and across much of the Southeast and south-central United States (except for Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle), primarily dry weather prevailed, mostly leading to unchanged or worsening drought or abnormal dryness. Swaths of heavy rain fell in parts of northwest Missouri, Oklahoma, northeast New Mexico, Colorado, and southeast Wyoming, leading to localized improvements in drought or abnormal dryness in these areas. The central and north-central United States were mostly cooler than normal this week, especially from Kansas north into the Dakotas and Minnesota, where temperatures from 6-12 degrees below normal were widespread.
Near- or warmer-than-normal temperatures were common in the West, with the warmest temperatures of 3-9 degrees above normal primarily occurring in California, Nevada, and Utah. The eastern United States saw a mix of above- and below-normal temperatures, though most places finished the week within 3 degrees of normal.
The West
This week, mostly warmer-than-normal weather occurred across the West, especially in Utah, Nevada, and California, where temperatures were locally 3-9 degrees warmer than normal.
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West of Utah and Arizona, mostly dry weather occurred, while heavier rains fell in parts of northeast New Mexico and portions of Utah. The heavy rains in northeast New Mexico led to local improvements where precipitation deficits lessened in the short—and long term. Recent rainfall led to local improvements to ongoing short-term moderate drought along the Utah-Colorado border.
Elsewhere, scattered degradations occurred in the northern half of the West region. Northeast Montana saw an expansion of moderate and severe drought due to short-term precipitation deficits and deficits in streamflow and soil moisture. A few degradations occurred across southern Idaho due to short-term dryness and streamflow deficits. Similar conditions in southeast Oregon and portions of Washington led to degrading conditions.
The High Plains
Mostly cooler-than-normal weather occurred this week across the High Plains states east of the Continental Divide.
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Temperatures from Kansas northward into the Dakotas mainly ranged from 6-12 degrees below normal. Precipitation amounts varied more widely; parts of southwest Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, and southeast Wyoming saw heavier rains. This led to improvements in drought or dryness, where precipitation deficits lessened. Other areas of central and eastern Nebraska, southeast and northeast Kansas, and western North Dakota were drier, leading to the development or expansion of drought and abnormal dryness. Mostly dry weather also continued in western South Dakota where moderate and severe drought continued, and continued dry weather may lead to worsening conditions. Western Wyoming also saw expansions of drought conditions along the Idaho border amid continued dry short-term conditions.
The South
Except for the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma, the South saw primarily dry weather this week.
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Soil moisture and streamflow dropped in parts of western Tennessee amid growing precipitation deficits, leading to the expansion of abnormal dryness and short-term moderate drought there. Similar conditions in Mississippi, portions of Louisiana, and Arkansas led to moderate drought and abnormal dryness expansion.
Farther west in Oklahoma, a couple of heavy bands of rain fell across central and eastern parts of the state during nighttime thunderstorm complexes. This led to widespread improvements in the ongoing drought. A two-category improvement occurred from southern Oklahoma City through Norman, where rainfall amounts of 6 or more inches were common. Heavier rains in the western Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles led to localized improvements where precipitation deficits lessened. Much of Oklahoma and Texas, along and just south of the Red River, saw short-term dryness intensify, leading to large-scale degradation in drought and abnormal dryness.
Temperature anomalies across the region varied from north to south. The northern half of the region was mostly near normal or cooler than normal (locally 3 or more degrees below normal), while the southern half of the region ranged from near normal up to 3 or more degrees above normal. — UNL Drought Monitor
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