Stormy Springtime Pattern Improves Drought Nationwide

The soggy, stormy springtime weather pattern persisted throughout much of the U.S. last week, leading to continued improvement to the drought depiction. Unfortunately, parts of the West and Midwest missed out on this beneficial moisture.

West
The Desert Southwest had a rare wet start to June as a low pressure system interacted with enhanced moisture from former Tropical Storm Alvin in the East Pacific. Parts of southwestern Arizona picked up 1 to 2 inches or more of rain this past week. The rest of the region was fairly dry this past week, leading to worsening abnormal dryness and drought conditions.

Exceptional drought (D4) shrunk in coverage across southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Moderate to extreme drought (D1-D3) also decreased in coverage for the rest of Arizona into New Mexico.

Conversely, severe drought (D2) expanded in northern Utah and a small portion of northwestern Montana. Abnormal dryness and moderate drought (D0-D1) expanded across Washington and Oregon, with a sliver of abnormal dryness added to far northwestern California. The rest of California and Nevada remain unchanged this week as they enter their drier time of year.
 
High Plains
The High Plains have had two consistent weeks of wet, cooler than normal weather. Two-week rainfall amounts ranged from 2 to 4 inches or more across much of Kansas, Nebraska and northeastern Colorado. Given this recent wetness, the High Plains saw widespread drought improvement last week.

The southern half of Kansas is now drought-free, with abnormal dryness remaining in southwestern portions of the state. Northern South Dakota also had moderate drought (D1) removed last week and is also now drought-free.

A large area of extreme drought (D3) was removed from southeastern Wyoming and far western Nebraska. A small area of extreme drought (D3) does remain in northeastern Nebraska, but it did shrink in coverage last week. Severe to extreme drought (D2-D3) was also removed from western South Dakota. Abnormal dryness to severe drought (D0-D2) improved in eastern North Dakota, most of South Dakota and Nebraska, northeastern/western Colorado and eastern Wyoming.
However, a small portion of southwestern Wyoming did have abnormal dryness (D0) expanded last week.
 
Midwest
Generally dry weather prevailed across the Midwest last week. The dry week combined with increasing precipitation deficits and declining soil moisture led to overall worsening of the drought depiction in the Midwest.

A small area of severe drought (D2) was added to northwestern Illinois, while moderate drought (D1) expanded from northeastern Missouri into southwestern Iowa. There was also an expansion of moderate drought (D1) in west-central Illinois. Northern Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, most of Iowa, northern Missouri and northern Illinois all saw an expansion of abnormal dryness (D0).
Indiana and the rest of Michigan remain unchanged this week, while Ohio and Kentucky are still free of drought or dryness.
 
South
A wet springtime pattern continued in the South last week. Most of the region remains free of drought and abnormal dryness, but improvements did occur in Oklahoma and Texas.

Moderate drought (D1) was removed from western Oklahoma, with only abnormal dryness remaining in the panhandle and western portions of the state. Oklahoma is now drought-free for the first time since July 2019! Extreme and exceptional drought were trimmed back in southern Texas and a small portion of western Texas. Abnormal dryness to severe drought (D0-D2) also improved in these areas.
 
Southeast
The end of May and the beginning of June was quite wet across the Southeast, with the stormy, sea breeze pattern now underway in Florida.

Extreme drought (D3) shrunk considerably in southern and western Florida, while abnormal dryness to severe drought (D0-D2) also improved throughout the state. Moderate drought (D1) was removed in the eastern Carolinas. Only a small area of moderate drought exists towards the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Moderate drought (D1) was also removed in far northern Virginia. Abnormal dryness shrunk in southern Georgia and the eastern Carolinas, with abnormal dryness (D0) removed completely in far southeastern Alabama, western North Carolina and northern Virginia.
 
Northeast
Last week started out soggy across the Northeast but then dried out by the second half of the week. Despite drying out, improvements to the drought depiction occurred this week as precipitation in May averaged more than 200 percent of normal!

Severe drought (D2) was removed from northeastern Maryland, while moderate drought (D1) was removed from southeastern Pennsylvania and most of northern Maryland. Abnormal dryness (D0) shrunk in coverage across the rest of Maryland, far eastern West Virginia, southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.

New England remained the same last week, with moderate drought (D1) being maintained over Cape Cod.
 
Looking Ahead (June 3rd to June 9th)
Multiple weather systems look to impact the eastern two-thirds of the nation over the next week. There will be daily or almost daily chances of rain and thunderstorms for all areas east of the Rockies. Severe weather and heavy downpours will be a possibility, especially in the South, Southeast and Lower Midwest. As a result of this active weather pattern, abnormal dryness and drought will likely continue to improve.

There will be some moisture funneled into the Rockies over the next week. This could trigger isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms almost daily, which would help abnormally dry and drought conditions. However, the rest of the West looks to stay generally dry. Drought expansion is possible in these areas that stay dry, especially the Pacific Northwest.

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Source: U.S. Drought Monitor