The drought-monitoring period, which began on the morning of Feb. 22 and ended early March 1, featured some wild temperature swings, along with a band of heavy precipitation stretching from the mid-South into the Northeast. In fact, this represented the second consecutive monitoring period with significant precipitation along nearly the same axis, while many other parts of the country received little or no moisture.
As a result, gradual expansion of dryness and drought was the rule across much of the western half of the nation, extending into parts of the upper Midwest, as well as the southern Atlantic States and the Gulf Coast region. In contrast, heavy precipitation kept drought at bay from the Ozark Plateau into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and the lower Great Lakes region. Significant precipitation also fell in drought-free areas of the Pacific Northwest, leading to another round of flooding in parts of western Washington.
South
For the second week in a row, a sharp contrast existed between heavy precipitation in the mid-South and mostly dry weather closer to the Gulf Coast and across the southern Great Plains. That pattern, consistent with La Niña, helped to sharpen the drought gradient across Arkansas and Mississippi. Meanwhile, extreme drought (D3) was expanded in several areas, including southwestern Louisiana.
On Feb. 27, statewide topsoil moisture in Texas and Oklahoma was rated at least three-quarters very short to short, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On that date, winter wheat was rated 75% very poor to poor in Texas, along with 65% in Oklahoma. Texas also reported 69% of its rangeland, pastures, and oats were rated very poor to poor. Burn bans were in effect for dozens of counties across Texas, as well as western and central Oklahoma.
Midwest
A late-February cold spell abruptly yielded to warm weather at month’s end into early March. Roller-coaster temperatures in Iowa included Sioux City’s swing from a daily-record high of 66 degrees F on Feb. 20 to a daily-record low of -9 degrees F on Feb. 25. In fact, Sioux City reported temperatures of 0°F or below each day from Feb. 22 to 25. However, Sioux City rebounded to 69 and 72 degrees F, respectively, on Feb. 28 and March 1.
Meanwhile, only light precipitation fell across the heart of the Midwest, with significant totals confined to drought-free areas in the Ohio Valley and environs. A strong signal of short-term dryness and moderate drought (D0 and D1) further amplified across Iowa and northwestern Missouri. Farther north, a small amount of D0 and D1 trimming occurred in the upper Great Lakes region, following a snowy February and winter. Marquette, Michigan—not currently in an area experiencing dryness—received December-February snowfall totaling 152.5 inches (128% of normal) and reported a 42-inch snow depth on February 23.
High Plains
For much of the winter of 2021-22, the High Plains were beset by sharp temperature fluctuations and only periodic precipitation, leaving drought largely intact through the cold season. Sub-zero, daily-record lows on Feb. 23 plunged to -8 degrees F in Burlington, Colorado, and -2 degrees F in Russell, Kansas. Several weather stations, including Goodland, Kansas, and Grand Island, Nebraska, reported four consecutive sub-zero minima from Feb. 22 to 25. By March 1, temperatures rebounded to 73 degrees F in Goodland and 75 degrees F in Grand Island.
By Feb. 27, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported topsoil moisture in Kansas was 80% very short to short, while 38% of the state’s winter wheat was rated in very poor to poor condition. In part due to short-term precipitation deficits, severe drought (D2) was broadly expanded across Kansas and Nebraska, with corresponding increases in other drought categories.
West
Most of the region experienced an extremely disappointing January-February period, with some locations, including downtown San Francisco, California, reporting record-low precipitation totals for those 2 months. San Francisco’s 2-month total of 0.65 inch (7% of normal) eclipsed the record of 0.72 inch established in January-February 1852. Downtown San Francisco also received no rain—not even a trace—from Jan. 8 to Feb. 20, a span of 44 days, followed by a meager 0.04 inch on Feb. 21. San Francisco’s longest winter dry spell remains 46 days, from Dec. 1, 1876, to Jan. 15, 1877—a streak that began in late autumn (on Nov. 17) and extended to 60 days. The longest modern winter dry spell in San Francisco’s history stretched 43 days, from December 25, 2014 – February 5, 2015. Other California locations setting records for January-February dryness included San Jose (0.01 inch), Fresno (0.04 inch), Sacramento (0.05 inch), and Eureka (2.39 inches).
