Exceptional Drought (D4) returned to the USDM map this week as spots of D4 developed in the northern Plains where below-normal rain fell, and D0 expanded in parts of the Southwest where the monsoon precipitation was below normal.
Rainfall amounts ranged from less than a tenth of an inch to over 4 inches due to the localized convective nature of the precipitation.
July 17 USDA reports indicated that conditions were poor to very poor across 15% of the pasture and rangeland in Texas and 6% in Oklahoma.
D1 was trimmed in southeast Iowa where over an inch of rain fell, but D0-D1 expanded in other parts of the state.
High Plains Locally heavy rains fell in southern parts of the High Plains, with over 3 inches reported at several stations in southeast Colorado and southern Nebraska.
Most stations in the region were drier than normal this week with many receiving a tenth of an inch of rain, if any.
D0-D1 were expanded in Nebraska and Kansas, but D0-D1 were trimmed in other parts of Nebraska and Kansas where an inch to several inches of rain fell.
West In the Southwest, several inches of rain fell with monsoon showers and thunderstorms in central to southern Arizona, with 1-2 inches in parts of northwest Arizona and parts of New Mexico.
The low rainfall amounts, drying soils, and a decreasing trend in some well levels in this area prompted the addition of D0 along parts of the southern coast.
Exceptional Drought Drought or Dryness Types S … Short-Term, typically <6 months (e.g. agricultural, grasslands) L …