Nationwide
There was a strong west-to-east temperature gradient this week, with temperatures below normal in the East, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast, and above normal in the West.
Precipitation was scarce across large portions of the nation, with many areas receiving less than 25% of normal precipitation. Areas of localized precipitation fell across the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies and the Great Lakes region. Out east, a winter storm brought snow and mixed precipitation to parts of the Tennessee Valley and the Carolinas, with locally heavy snowfall in some locations.
Across the West, snowpack remains well below the seasonal average. Even in areas that received snow, low snowpack, dry soils, and low streamflow led to degradation across the Intermountain West. Along the West Coast, precipitation remained limited and uneven. Western Oregon saw dry, and drought conditions expanded toward the Pacific coast and into far south Washington and northwest California.
Elsewhere, scattered degradations occurred across the South and Southeast, where another week without precipitation added to growing precipitation deficits, except for localized areas of improvement that continued to benefit from last week’s heavy snowfall. Other isolated areas of improvement were seen in southern New Mexico and in the Midwest and Northeast.
The West
Across much of the West, conditions worsened, driven by a deepening snow drought, limited precipitation, and above-normal temperatures that continued to undermine snowpack development. While some mountain snowfall occurred, amounts were generally modest and did not keep pace with early February climatological accumulation rates, resulting in snowpack deficits across much of the region.
Conditions in the Intermountain West have intensified as snowfall continues to fall well short of expectations for this time of year. Numerous SNOTEL sites reported SWE below the 15th percentile, with several stations registering the lowest SWE on record for early February. These snowpack deficits were compounded by limited recent precipitation, declining soil moisture, and below-normal streamflows, particularly across northern Idaho and western Montana and extending into central and southern Montana and Wyoming. Similarly, Colorado and Utah experienced deteriorating conditions, with SWE well below the median and drier soil moisture.
Across southwestern Idaho, northern Nevada and into eastern Oregon, persistent warmth, scarce precipitation, poor low-elevation snowpack, and low streamflows led to the expansion of abnormally dry (D0) and moderate drought (D1) conditions, as well as the introduction of moderate drought (D2) along the Idaho-Wyoming border. SNOTEL stations in the Owyhee, Independence and Snake Mountains are reporting SWE levels between the ninth percentile to the worst on record.
Along the Pacific Coast, centered over Oregon, abnormally dry (D0) conditions expanded into southern Washington and northwestern California as the mid-winter dry spell continues, with poor snowpack development, very low streamflows, and limited soil moisture recovery outside the highest elevations (SNOTEL SWE percentile map; state precipitation and streamflow maps).
The only improvement across the West occurred in southern New Mexico, where precipitation from earlier storm systems continued to translate into measurable hydrologic response, supporting localized improvements and one-category improvements.
The High Plains
Conditions across the central and northern High Plains were mostly unchanged this week, as most of the region received little to no meaningful precipitation.
Cold temperatures persisted, and where snow did fall, it remained largely frozen in place, limiting short-term benefits to soils or hydrologic conditions. Conditions across the Wyoming and Colorado Plains continued to deteriorate. Snow water equivalent (SWE) remains well below average, with SNOTEL data showing values generally in the 50-70% of the median range, reflecting how snowpack continues to fall short for this time of year despite recent snowfall. Severe drought (D2) expanded from southeastern Wyoming into northeastern Colorado and a little into the Nebraska Panhandle. Abnormal dryness (D0) and moderate drought (D2) also expanded across portions of Kansas.
The South
Drought conditions across the South generally continued to worsen this week, as much of the region received little to no precipitation.
Temperatures were near or slightly above normal across large portions of the region. Outside of a few localized improvements in northeast Louisiana and southeast Mississippi from last week’s winter storm, conditions continued to degrade across most of the region. Across the southern Plains into the Lower Mississippi Valley, one-category degradations were observed in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and southwestern Mississippi following another dry week with no meaningful precipitation. Short- to mid-term precipitation deficits continue to grow, and soil moisture continues to decline, along with streamflows. — UNL Drought Monitor
