The amount of winter wheat in drought continued to expand to 65%, up seven percentage points from the previous week, according to this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor. USDA reported 20% of the winter wheat area is in moderate drought, 28% in severe drought, 14% in extreme drought and 3% in exceptional drought. The previous week, USDA said 18% of the winter wheat area is in moderate drought, 25% in severe drought, 12% in extreme drought and 3% in exceptional drought.
Most of the winter wheat drought area increase was in the HRW area. Both Oklahoma and Kansas had a five percentage point increase in the amount of land considered abnormally dry/drought. Now, Oklahoma has 95 percent of its land considered dry/drought. Kansas has 73 percent of its land is categorized as abnormally dry/drought. Now at 87%, Texas added three percentage points to the amount of land as abnormally dry/drought
Based on persistent dryness, periods of enhanced winds and anomalous warmth this month and worsening soil moisture conditions, the drought continued to deteriorate in much of Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. Oklahoma had a 28 percentage point increase in land in severe drought to exceptional drought. Texas added nine percentage points to the amount of land in severe drought to exceptional drought.
Most locations across southwestern Oklahoma and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles have received less than 0.10 inches of precipitation during the past 70 to 80 days. As of December 28, Amarillo, Texas has observed no precipitation for 76 consecutive days, the second-longest dry streak on record. As of December 28, month-to-date temperatures have averaged more than 8 degrees F above normal throughout nearly all of Oklahoma and Texas.
Some of the SRW area considered dry/drought include east-central Missouri and west-central Tennessee. Missouri had 49% of its land reported as abnormally dry/drought, up six percentage point increase from the previous week.