During the week of April 8 to 14, temperatures across the Contiguous United States were split into above-normal readings in the western U.S., below-normal readings east of the Mississippi River, and near-normal temperatures in the Mississippi River Valley.

Temperatures across the western Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Intermountain West ranged from 3 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal. In the Upper Ohio River Valley and Appalachian Mountains, temperatures from 6 to 12 degrees cooler-than-normal were widespread.

Dry weather occurred over much of the Great Plains and western U.S., except for parts of North Dakota, Montana, northern Idaho and western Washington.

Changes to the U.S. Drought Monitor depiction were somewhat limited. Increases in drought coverage occurred in parts of southern Texas, New Mexico, much of Colorado, and parts of Kansas, Nebraska and northern South Dakota.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. (Map courtesy of NDMC.)

South

Mostly dry weather occurred across the South region. Temperatures ranged from 3 to 9 degrees below normal in southeast Texas and to 3 to locally 9 degrees or more above normal in western parts of Oklahoma and Texas.

In southern Texas, severe drought expanded in a small area between San Antonio and Houston where streamflow and soil moisture decreased and short-term precipitation deficits grew.

Exceptional drought grew in coverage from near Eagle Pass to northwest of Del Rio in southern Texas, where short- and long-term precipitation deficits worsened, soil moisture and groundwater levels worsened, and reservoir levels were at or near record-low levels.

Stage 3 restrictions were in effect for the San Antonio Water System, and Stage 4 restrictions were present for farmers and pumpers operating in the Edwards Aquifer.

Midwest

Mostly dry weather occurred in the Midwest. Western reaches of Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri finished the week either near normal or 3 to 6 degrees warmer than normal.

Reductions in coverage of drought and abnormal dryness occurred in southern Minnesota. Abnormal dryness and moderate drought expanded slightly in northeast Missouri and southeast Iowa, where short-term precipitation deficits grew and soil moisture levels decreased.

High Plains

Across the High Plains, ongoing drought or abnormal dryness mostly stayed the same or worsened after dry weather occurred across the region (excluding North Dakota) and warmer-than-normal temperatures overspread the Great Plains and central Rocky Mountains.

Temperatures from 3 to 12 degrees above normal occurred across the region, with the warmest readings occurring in the western Great Plains and in the Colorado Front Range area.

Widespread degradation in drought conditions, due to low snowpack and short- and long-term precipitation deficits, occurred in the central and southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Moderate drought expanded in western and east-central Kansas, where streamflow and soil moisture dropped amid growing precipitation deficits. Similar conditions existed from south-central into eastern Nebraska, where moderate drought became re-established.

Localized degradations to drought conditions occurred in north-central South Dakota amid growing precipitation deficits, though conditions across most of the Dakotas remained unchanged this week. Moderate drought coverage decreased slightly southwest of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, where precipitation deficits lessened and soil moisture conditions improved.

West

Temperatures across the West were warmer than normal with widespread readings of 6 to 12 degrees above normal in parts of New Mexico. Mostly dry weather occurred with a few exceptions in Montana.

 In northern New Mexico, soil moisture levels dropped and short-term precipitation deficits grew, leading to an expansion of severe drought (concurrent with expansions of drought coverage in Colorado). Extreme and exceptional drought grew in coverage in far southwest New Mexico where very dry surface conditions and high evaporative demand continued amid severe precipitation deficits.

Looking ahead

Between April 16 to 21, the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center is forecasting widespread heavy rainfall in parts of the central U.S., especially along east and south of the Interstate 44, 35 and 70 corridors in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Indiana.

Precipitation amounts may reach or exceed 3 inches from eastern Oklahoma northeast through St. Louis. The forecast calls for precipitation amounts from 0.25-1 inches in parts of the Rocky Mountains, with locally higher amounts possible, especially from far northern New Mexico north to southern Montana. Precipitation amounts from 0.5-1.25 inches, with localized higher amounts, are forecast from southeast Minnesota east through Wisconsin and Michigan.

For April 22 to 26, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center forecast favors above-normal precipitation in much of the central and southern U.S., especially in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. Warmer-than-normal temperatures are also favored across most of the contiguous U.S., especially in the Southeast.

Curtis Riganti is with the National Drought Mitigation Center.