Nationwide
Heat continued to be the dominating feature in the Southwest and Plains. Temperatures were 2-6 degrees above average, with isolated areas 6-8 degrees above normal.
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The Southwest reached near-record temperatures once again, with the highest 1-day maximum temperature for the week reaching 120 degrees in Death Valley and 110 degrees in surrounding areas. The West and Plains missed much of the precipitation that fell this week. These hot and dry conditions have lent themselves to increased fire potential and wildfires.
The southern Plains missed the precipitation and experienced above-normal temperatures, leading to more drying and degradation. Similar degradations occurred along the western border of the High Plains due to the lack of precipitation, poor soil moisture, and declining streamflows. The Southeast, however, received substantial precipitation, vastly improving lingering dryness in the area. The northern Appalachian region saw 1-category degradations where streamflows in north-central West Virginia are critically low.
The West
The Northwest saw some relief from the extreme heat this week, with temperatures in Nevada, California, Oregon, and Washington being 2-6 degrees below normal.
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Conversely, the Southwest saw more extreme heat. Southern California, the southern tip of Nevada, and western Arizona saw temperatures of over 90 degrees this week, with the highest 1-day maximum temperature reaching over 110 degrees. In the northern west, Montana saw slight improvements, and in the far north, temperatures were slightly below average. Still, it saw conditions similar to those in North and South Dakota in the central and eastern parts of the state. Central Utah saw a minor expansion of abnormal dryness as streamflow began to drop and vegetation was looking dry.
The High Plains
The High Plains received trace amounts of precipitation, leading to further deteriorating dry conditions in the western and southern High Plains.
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Poor soil moisture in much of Kansas brought about widespread 1-category degradations. In eastern Kansas, along the Missouri border, there have been reports of dryness and heat stress. Central Kansas has also seen reports of dry ponds and fear of total crop failures. Some of these drier conditions spilled northward into southern Nebraska, which also saw areas of the northeast and western Panhandle deteriorate because of an extended period of dry conditions, dry vegetation, and low streamflow values. Similar conditions were seen across western South and North Dakota, and Wyoming. Colorado saw deterioration in the northern Front Range, where extreme temperatures and low humidity made for perfect conditions for wildfires. Two fires were reported on Monday, July 29: the Alexander Mountain Fire west of Loveland and the Stone Mountain Fire southeast of Estes Park.
The South
Eastern portions of the South saw much of the heavy precipitation seen in the Southeast.
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Southeastern Texas into western Louisiana recorded areas of over 8 inches of rain falling this week. There was a sharp line of where the precipitation fell and did not. West of south-central Texas, northeastward to central Arkansas saw trace amounts of rain. Temperatures were between 1 and 4 degrees below normal, with eastern Texas and western Louisiana having temperatures of 6-8 degrees below normal. Except for north-central Texas, parts of Oklahoma, and western Arkansas, 1-category improvements were made. Oklahoma saw a mixture of above- and below-normal temperatures, with hot temperatures heating up at the end of the week (July 23-30).
Reports of “cover crops being cooked” and “no soil moisture for native grasses to draw from and large pastures have lost much green color and have shrunk considerably” in central Oklahoma’s Logan County. — UNL Drought Monitor
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