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Western Drought Worsens; East Sees Improvement
UPDATED June 14, 2013
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, John Bateman | A tropical system brought drought relief to the East while parts of the Plains saw improvements thanks to unsettled weather. In the Southwest, record heat kept drought conditions firmly in place.
Tropical Storm Andrea, and later its remnants, brought much relief to the Eastern Seaboard this past week. In the Southeast, 2-to-6 inches of rain helped relieve moderate drought conditions while its moisture combining with a front, brought much-needed moisture from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast. In fact, abnormally dry conditions are all that remain along the immediate East Coast thanks to the heavy rain of last week.
In the Midwest and Plains, a cool and soggy pattern persisted in the northern tier helping relieve North Dakota of its drought. Improvements were also seen in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. This cool, wet weather caused planting delays, however, for much of the soybean crop in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, in the southern Plains some rain added relief to the drought in Texas, Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and Louisiana. East Texas, in fact, saw 1-to-3 inches of rainfall, but much of the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles are still under an exceptional drought.
The West stayed in a very hot and dry pattern as record temperatures and low humidity helped reinforce the drought. A weather system produced some needed rain but also generated lightning, which sparked forest fires due to the dry vegetation. Overall, the heat and aridity deteriorated pastures and rangeland in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and California.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
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