Nationwide
The dry pattern impacting much of the country has continued into this current period.
The wettest areas were along the coast in the Pacific Northwest, with some locations recording over 2 inches of rain for the week. Other areas receiving some precipitation were the Four Corners region, the Midwest, and parts of the South. Still, many of these totals were minimal and did little to impact the drought conditions. The Southern Plains and South were the warmest regions, with departures of 10-12 degrees above normal this week. Almost the entire country was warmer than average, with only Northeast and Pacific Northwest areas having near to slightly below normal temperatures.
As the month ends, many locations will be at or near record dryness across the country. For the Lower 48 states, there has not been this much drought shown on the U.S. Drought Monitor since December 2022. Areas of the Southeast that were impacted by significant precipitation associated with landfalling hurricanes have dried out rapidly, with some locations recording zero precipitation since the hurricanes. Some precipitation development at the end of the current period could help ease conditions into the next week, but that will be determined on the next map.
The West
The West was the one region that had substantial precipitation during the week, with rains in the areas of central to northeast Arizona, western Colorado, central to western Wyoming, central Utah, southern Oregon into Idaho and along the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest.
Minimal improvements were made to the abnormally dry conditions along the Oregon coast. Moderate drought improved in northern California and northern Nevada as well as in southern Oregon and Idaho. Abnormally dry conditions disappeared from the rest of southwest Colorado. Severe and extreme drought expanded in northern Colorado into southern Wyoming, and severe drought expanded in western Wyoming.
The High Plains
Dryness again dominated the region, with only areas of far southeast Nebraska and northeast Kansas, northeast Wyoming and northwest South Dakota recording significant precipitation. Coupled with the dryness, temperatures have been unseasonably warm for the region, with most all areas 4-8 degrees above normal for the week.
Drought expanded and intensified across the region this week, with severe and extreme drought expanding over western North Dakota and moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions expanding over the southeast. Severe and extreme drought expanded over much of western and southern South Dakota and western and northern Nebraska. Eastern Nebraska saw both moderate and severe drought expand. In Kansas, severe and extreme drought expanded over the southeast, while severe drought expanded over the northeast and western portions of the state. Moderate drought also expanded in western Kansas. In northeast Colorado, moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions expanded, with moderate and severe drought expanding in southeast Colorado. Southeast Wyoming saw moderate, severe, and extreme drought expansion, while eastern Montana had severe and extreme drought expansion to the west.
The South
Temperatures were well above normal over the region, with areas of north Texas and much of eastern Oklahoma at 12-16 degrees above normal for the week.
Some very light rains were reported in central Arkansas, but much of the region was dry this week. Drought intensified and expanded with the fall warmth and dryness impacting the region. In Oklahoma, the north-central and eastern portions of the state saw severe and extreme drought expand, with some moderate drought expanding in the east. Widespread degradation occurred over much of northern and eastern Texas and into the southern portions of the state, where almost every drought category intensified, most now in severe drought or worse. Moderate and severe drought expanded over portions of West Texas as well.
In Arkansas, most of the western portions of the state had degradation this week, now in severe to extreme drought. Moderate drought expanded over southeast Arkansas. Severe drought emerged in northwest and southwest Louisiana, and moderate drought expanded over more of the east and southeastern areas. In Mississippi, moderate and severe drought expanded in the southern half of the state and in a small area of the northeast part of the state. In Tennessee, the short-term dryness allowed slight expansion of the severe and moderate drought in the state’s southern portions. Abnormally dry conditions filled in the rest of northern Tennessee. — UNL Drought Monitor
