What’s the Current U.S. Drought Status?

The most recent U.S. drought monitor map showed intensifying short-term rainfall shortages led to expanding and intensifying dryness and drought over much of the Lower Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley, Northeast, and parts of the Deep South, southern Plains, central Arizona, and the central Rockies.

A second consecutive week of moderate to heavy precipitation brought areas of improvement across the northern reaches of the Rockies and Plains and over parts of the central Great Plains.

The heaviest amounts — 8–11 inches — drenched areas in southeastern Wisconsin, from central Washington and Ozaukee counties southward through much of north and central Waukesha and Milwaukee counties. Meanwhile, 6–8 inches fell over a broader section of southeastern Wisconsin, as well as a few patches across southeastern South Dakota; the Carolinas Piedmont and adjacent southern Appalachians; the coastal Carolinas; north-central Florida; the Central Florida peninsula; and interior Southeast Florida, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report.

Midwest

Drought conditions varied substantially. Much of Iowa and significant parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula received heavy rains last week.

“The wetter conditions are continuing from July into August, with rainfall totals in the last two weeks across the state ranging from 1 to 6-plus inches,” shared Rebecca Vittetoe, an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomist, in an Integrated Crop Management News article.

Isolated areas in south-central Iowa received 6–7 inches over the weekend, Vittetoe added.

“The biggest concerns coming in from fields across the state are more disease-related with sudden death syndrome (SDS) becoming more apparent in soybean fields across the state and southern rust in corn,” Vittetoe wrote.

Nearly a foot of rain doused the southern tier of Wisconsin.

Scattered moderate to locally heavy amounts were observed in other parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota, as well as portions of Michigan’s western Lower Peninsula, the northern and western parts of Missouri, and northwestern Illinois.

“High temperatures continued over the past week,” Michigan State University Extension’s Nicolle Ritchie and Angie Gradiz shared in a southwest Michigan field crops update. “Precipitation fell earlier this week, ranging from about half an inch to an inch. Although not enough to meet plant evapotranspiration demands, it was still a welcome addition.”

High temperatures in the region are forecast to continue, with humidity and nighttime temperatures dropping just a little, Ritchie and Gradiz added.

Much of the heaviest rain fell on areas already out of dryness and drought. Drought improvement was limited to parts of northern Minnesota and northwestern Illinois. Persisting or increasing dryness was more common farther south and east, especially over southern Missouri and adjacent areas, plus portions of the eastern and southern Great Lakes region.

High Plains

Rainfall varied across the High Plains region this week, with abundant rainfall falling on much of North Dakota, southern Nebraska, and some spots in Kansas, leading to improved conditions.

Meanwhile, less precipitation kept dryness and drought approximately unchanged across South Dakota.

A sizable swath of northwestern Colorado deteriorated into exceptional drought.