According to the Drought Monitor, heavy precipitation was recorded in the southern Ohio Valley as well as the lower Mississippi Valley this week. These areas were not in drought or dryness, this week.
Midwest
Between 0.5 to 3.0″ of precipitation, in the form of snow, was recorded across Kentucky and the Ohio Valley while 0.5 to 1.5″ – mostly in the form of snow – fell on the northern half of Minnesota and much of the Great Lakes region, the Drought Monitor report shows.
“Light precipitation (at most) fell elsewhere. The areas with the highest precipitation were those that are not currently experiencing drought or dryness. Therefore, improvement was limited to the Great Lakes region and its adjacent areas. Much of the region was dry, but given the time or year lowering both natural and human water demand, only small patches of deterioration were noted in northwestern Iowa and near the Missouri/Iowa/Illinois triple point,” authors of the Drought Monitor stated.
High Plains
The majority of significant precipitation was restricted to high-elevation areas in Wyoming or Colorado. Further east in the Plains States, only portions of the region that had more than 0.2 inches were recorded.
“Some deterioration occurred in southern Kansas where the temperatures were highest. But other areas southward from the Dakotas remained unchanged. Over the past few months, heavy rainfall has been common in the higher elevations of northern and central Colorado. Some of these mountains saw several inches more precipitation than normal over the last 90 days. This has resulted in abundant snowpack, which has helped to improve drought conditions in this region. Other areas remained the same,” Drought Monitor authors stated.
Looking forward
According to the Drought Monitoring report, this week should bring snow to parts of the East- and Southeast-most regions.
“A large area stretching from Alabama and Georgia northward through Virginia and the Northeastern coast should get more than an inch. There may be scattered areas of up to 2 inches in southern Appalachians near the Georgia/Alabama border and in eastern North Carolina. Drought Monitor authors stated that moderate precipitation of generally 0.5-1.0 inches is forecast across the interior Northeast. This includes New England and a large area from central North Dakota southeastward through Iowa.
Source: Successful Farming
