Nationwide
This U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) week saw widespread improvement in drought-related conditions on the map across areas of the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and in areas of the Midwest. Elsewhere, hot and dry conditions prevailed in areas of the West, Plains, and the South during the past 14-to-30-day period, leading to the expansion and intensification of drought on this week’s map with particular concern over the developing flash drought situation in areas of the Plains states.
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In the Southeast, Hurricane Debby (Category 1) made landfall Monday morning in Florida’s Big Bend region, bringing a powerful storm surge, strong winds, torrential rains, and severe flooding to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast region from southwest Florida to the north-central region. Rainfall accumulations ranged from 2 to 20+ inches across affected areas, with the heaviest accumulations logged in the greater Sarasota area. The impacts of Hurricane Debby, which weakened to a tropical storm shortly after making landfall, were also felt across the coastal zones and plains of Georgia and South Carolina, with heavy rainfall (up to 15 inches according to radar estimates) and flooding. On the map, some drought-related improvements were made this week in the Carolinas in association with the remnant moisture from Hurricane Debby. However, it is noteworthy that this week’s drought depiction is representative of rainfall that fell until the data cutoff at 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday, and additional improvements are expected on next week’s map. Elsewhere, light-to-moderate rainfall accumulations (2 to 4 inches) were observed across areas of the Northeast, Midwest, and in isolated areas of the Northern Plains.
The West
Out West, the overall hot and dry pattern observed during the past 30-60 days continued to desiccate many parts of the region, leading to the addition of numerous areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) and the expansion of areas of drought (primarily Moderate Drought D1) in the Pacific Northwest, California, Intermountain West, and the Southwest.
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Furthermore, the hot and dry weather continued to exacerbate fire conditions, with numerous large fires burning across the region, including California’s Park Fire (northeast of Chico, CA), which has burned ~414,890 acres and was only 34% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service on August 7.
In terms of wildland fire potential for the remainder of August 2024, the National Interagency Fire Center’s Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook is forecasting above-normal fire potential across areas of Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada, and Utah. Looking at statewide reservoir storage (August 1), reservoir storage (as compared to the 1991-2020 median) is above normal in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah, with below-normal levels in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Washington, and Wyoming, according to the National Resources Conservation Service.
The High Plains
On this week’s map, all states within the High Plains region saw degradations in response to a combination of factors, including below-normal precipitation (past 30-60-day period), above-normal temperatures (4-10 F during the past 14 days), high evaporative demand, and intensifying flash drought conditions in recent weeks.
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Moreover, within the past 30 days, numerous agricultural impacts have been reported by extension agents as well as by local farmers and ranchers to the National Drought Mitigation Center’s (NDMC) Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) system. Impact reports include crop stress, critically low soil moisture, water hauling, and reduced forage, with the highest concentration of reports coming in from western portions of the Dakotas, western Nebraska, and eastern portions of Montana and Wyoming.
According to the USDA (August 4), statewide topsoil moisture rated by percent short to very short is as follows: Kansas 55%, Nebraska 49%, South Dakota 32%, North Dakota 25%, Montana 68%, Wyoming 83%, and Colorado 58%.
The South
Across the region, dry conditions prevailed this week, as well as above-normal temperatures with the greatest anomalies (+4 to 8 degrees F) observed in the Texas Panhandle and Trans-Pecos regions as well as in areas of southeastern Oklahoma, and southern portions of Louisiana and Mississippi.
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On the map, deterioration occurred in northern and western portions of Texas, eastern Oklahoma, southern Arkansas, and Mississippi, while near- to above-normal precipitation during the past 30-day period led to widespread improvements across Tennessee.
In Oklahoma, the rapidly declining soil moisture and escalating fire danger are heightening concerns about widespread flash drought, according to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. In Texas, Water for Texas (August 7) reports that statewide reservoirs are currently at 76.7% full, with numerous reservoirs in the eastern part of the state in good condition, while many reservoirs in the western half of the state are experiencing below-normal levels.
In terms of topsoil conditions across the region, the USDA (week of August 4) is reporting the statewide topsoil moisture rated by percent short to very short as follows: Tennessee 29%, Mississippi 39%, Arkansas 47%, Louisiana 22%, Oklahoma 59%, and Texas 67%. — UNL Drought Monitor
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