Nationwide
During the week, a highly variable weather pattern brought wide temperature swings to much of the contiguous United States. An unusually cold air mass that had settled over the Plains at the start of the week pushed eastward, bringing a rapid and stormy end to the early-season heat wave across the Eastern Seaboard.
In contrast, the West baked under much above-normal temperatures. By mid-week, much above-normal temperatures had returned to the Plains, with daily maximum temperatures climbing into the upper 90s in some locations. As temperatures began to rebound across the East, cooler air overspread the Pacific states by the end of the week.
The strong temperature gradients that set up across the Nation, coupled with ample Gulf moisture streaming northward, resulted in widespread heavy and persistent precipitation, with many locations exceeding two inches from eastern Texas and Oklahoma northeastward to the mid-Atlantic states, and isolated instances of 6 or more inches in some spots. Widespread rainfall, albeit with lighter accumulations, fell across the north-central Plains as daily temperatures warmed, but mostly dry weather prevailed across the upper Mississippi Valley and western Corn Belt. West of the Rockies, mostly dry weather prevailed for most of the week, but showers associated with a strong cold front overspread the Northwest at the very end of the period.
The West
Mostly dry weather and above-normal temperatures dominated the Western Region during the week, sparking some small-scale degradation across Montana, Idaho, and New Mexico, where the effects of meager winter snow cover are beginning to be felt in declining streamflow. The status quo was maintained west of the Rockies for the most part, as reservoir conditions remained good across California during a climatologically dry time of year. At the end of the week, a strong cold front brought abnormal moisture to the Northwest and northern Rockies. While not sufficient to substantively alter the drought depiction, a modest reduction in abnormal dryness was noted in far northwestern Washington.
The High Plains
As below-normal temperatures transitioned back to a hot pattern across the High Plains, widespread precipitation moved through the region.
Areas of convection brought up to 2 inches of rain to portions of eastern Nebraska and eastern Colorado, while amounts were generally an inch or less elsewhere. This precipitation was sufficient to reduce drought across northern and northeastern Colorado, but drier conditions in southeastern Colorado and Kansas, coupled with hot temperatures, resulted in degradation. A sharp cutoff in precipitation was also observed across the far western Dakotas, with small areas of degradation along the borders with Wyoming and Montana.
The South
Widespread heavy rainfall overspread the Southern Region, with amounts increasing from west to east. Accumulations of 2 to locally more than 5 inches fell across most of Tennessee, engendering widespread drought reduction. Rainfall was locally heavy but a bit spottier across Louisiana and Arkansas, which also saw widespread drought reduction but with less coverage. Across Texas, heavy rainfall in the eastern half of the state led to drought improvements and localized flooding. Across North Texas, localized convection brought relief to some areas, but hot conditions led to degradation in areas where precipitation did not occur. — UNL Drought Monitor
