Warm, dry weather dominated the western half of the U.S. the week ending Sept. 28, while some welcome rain fell in some areas of the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast, according to today’s National Drought Monitor. “As the 2021-22 water year came to a close, the West, northern Plains and upper Midwest had the poorest recorded precipitation while portions of the South and Southeast have recorded 110%-150% of normal precipitation during this time,” the Drought Monitor Summary noted.
The bulk of the High Plains were dry over the past week, and temperatures were above normal. That accelerated grain dry down and maturity, with harvest moving forward quickly. Drought expanded and intensified across the region. “Portions of northwest North Dakota had extreme drought conditions return. Moderate and severe drought were expanded over portions of eastern Colorado, northern and southern Kansas, western and central Nebraska, southwest South Dakota and southeast Wyoming. Severe and extreme drought were also expanded over north central Wyoming,” today’s Drought Summary details.