The U.S. Drought Monitor showed a mild easing of drought in some areas of the Southern and Central Plains. The weekly updated noted, “Widespread rain, amounting to between half an inch and 2 inches, fell in the Southern Great Plains, primarily along and to the east of Interstate 35. As a result, some areas along the Texas/Oklahoma border and parts of south Texas saw improvements to drought conditions. In western South Dakota, precipitation amounts up to an inch fell, and more minor precipitation amounts occurred in south-central Kansas. A couple minor improvements to conditions occurred in western Kansas.”
The update also noted, “In Montana, much of the eastern part of the state remained dry, leading to some expansion in exceptional drought, where multiple short- and long-term datasets indicate worsening conditions. In western Montana, a small part of exceptional drought improved to extreme drought where short- and long-term precipitation deficits had improved.”
As of Nov. 9, the Drought Monitor showed 100% of Montana, 96% of Colorado, 77% of Oklahoma, 69% of Nebraska, 61% of Texas and 29% of Kansas was covered in some form of dryness/drought.