As of Jan. 10, 66.5% of the U.S. was covered by abnormal dryness/drought, down three percentage points from the previous week. USDA estimated 59% of U.S. winter wheat areas were covered by drought, down five points from the previous week and 10 points lower than last year at this time.
In HRW areas, dryness/drought covered nearly 100% of Kansas, 60% of Colorado, 97% of Oklahoma, 73% of Texas, 100% of Nebraska, 98% of South Dakota and 91% of Montana.
In SRW areas, dryness/drought covered 59% of Missouri, 58% of Illinois, 75% of Indiana, 28% of Ohio, 44% of Michigan, 1% of Kentucky and 0% of Tennessee.
In the Plains, the Drought Monitor noted: “Most of the Region was much drier than the prior week, with a few tenths of an inch of precipitation restricted to southeastern South Dakota and adjacent portions of Nebraska, as well as isolated sites in the higher elevations of Colorado and southern Wyoming. Other areas recorded little if any precipitation. Most of the region remained unchanged from last week, but some improvement occurred in southeastern South Dakota and adjacent Nebraska. No areas appeared to deteriorate significantly due to the heavy precipitation of the previous week and seasonably cold temperatures reducing human and natural water demand. But most of the region remained in at least moderate drought (D1), with extreme to exceptional drought (D3-D4) stretching from southeastern Wyoming eastward across most of Nebraska into adjacent Iowa, and southward from western Nebraska through most of southern and western Kansas. A broad swath covering the southwestern half of Kansas and much of northeastern Nebraska remained in exceptional drought (D4).”
In the Midwest, the Drought Monitor stated: “It was a wet week across most of Kentucky, with many locations from east of the Ohio/Mississippi Rivers’ confluence to the Appalachians receiving 1 to locally 4 inches. Meanwhile, light to locally moderate precipitation fell on portions of Minnesota and the Great Lakes Region, much of it in the form of snow. Most areas recorded several tenths of an inch of precipitation (liquid-equivalent), but a few swaths from southeastern Minnesota through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan reported 1 to 2 inches. A fairly deep snowpack now covers most areas across the northern tier of the Midwest Region. As a result, improvements were introduced there, particularly from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan through southern Minnesota. Most areas from eastern Missouri northeastward through much of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan recorded 2 to 6 inches less than normal precipitation over the last 3 months, with the largest deficits observed near the Ohio River; however, most of the Midwest Region has seen near- to above-normal precipitation during the past 30 days, with totals about 2 inches above normal through much of the northern tier of the Region. Currently, northwestern Iowa is the driest part of the Region. Much of this area is in extreme drought (D3) with a small area of D4 assessed near the Nebraska border.”
Across the South, the Drought Monitor note: “Moderate to locally heavy rain in Tennessee and Mississippi kept those states free from drought. The small area of D0 remaining in Tennessee was removed, and D0 areas in Mississippi contracted slightly. Moderate to locally heavy rain also fell on most of Louisiana and eastern Texas, reducing the extent of D0 in northern Louisiana and improving the west side of the D0 and D1 areas in the Bayou. Farther west, little or no precipitation fell. Exacerbated by much above normal temperatures, conditions deteriorated in portions of Texas and Oklahoma, although most locations were unchanged by the week’s dryness. Much of Oklahoma remained in extreme drought (D3), and similarly dry conditions existed across scattered areas in central and northern Texas. Exceptional drought (D4) now covers part of central Texas, scattered areas across Oklahoma, along with the northern tier of the state. 90-day precipitation amounts were only 10 to 25 percent of normal through the Oklahoma Panhandle, part of adjacent Texas, and in far western Texas from Big Bend National Park northwestward for a few hundred miles along the Rio Grande. Locations in and near the central Texas D4 region recorded 3 to 5 inches less precipitation than normal during this period.”