During the 7-day period ending Tuesday morning, areas of heavy to excessive rainfall provided widespread drought relief across the central and southern Atlantic Coast States and from Texas northward into Montana and the Dakotas.
Likewise, short-term dryness continued to develop in parts of New England.
Click on graphic to animate High Plains The overall trend toward improving conditions in the south contrasting with increasingly dry weather in the far north continued, though some northerly areas benefited from locally heavy rain.
In southern Kansas, another week with moderate to locally heavy showers (1-3 inches, as high as 3.72 inches in Longton, KS) led to widespread reductions of drought intensity and coverage.
Moderate to heavy rainfall (locally more than 3 inches) in northeastern Colorado likewise trimmed the coverage of Abnormal Dryness (D0).
Conditions were largely mixed over the region during the 7-day monitoring period, with generally dry weather in the north contrasting with additional rain in southern portions of the region.
Moderate to heavy rainfall (1-4 inches, locally more) led to widespread reductions in Abnormal Dryness (D0) in central Missouri, with a report of 5.52 inches in Appleton City (north of El Dorado Springs).
Conversely, rain largely bypassed locales from northeastern Missouri into west-central Illinois, with D0 expanded to capture areas reporting half of normal rainfall over the past 60 days.
Despite the continuation of a generally active weather pattern, the Southwest will remain unfavorably dry.
In contrast, wetter-than-normal conditions are expected from the northern Great Basin into northern portions of the Rockies and Great Plains, with a second higher-likelihood area of above-normal rainfall over the southeastern quarter of the nation.

Climatologists and other experts on Wednesday provided an update on the situation in the Four Corners region — where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet.
They say the area is among the hardest hit and there’s little relief expected, and even robust summer rains might not be enough to replenish the soil and ease the fire danger.
That has left farmers, ranchers and water planners bracing for a much different situation than just a year ago when only a fraction of the region was experiencing low levels of dryness.
Brian Fuchs, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center in Nebraska, said people are become more aware and more concerned.
"We’ve been on this pattern where conditions have dried out, we haven’t seen much relief through last summer or into the winter months and here we are going into the summer of 2018 with over two-thirds of the region already in drought," he said.
"So that’s alarming to say the least."
The drought has hit the Colorado River hard.
The river this summer is expected to dry as far north as Albuquerque, New Mexico’s most populous city.
"While this case initially should have been resolved without filing a costly lawsuit, I am excited New Mexico will finally get to tell its unified story about how Texas and the United States have unfairly tried to scapegoat New Mexico," Balderas said Wednesday.
Texas officials are reviewing New Mexico’s claims.

Southern Arizona is facing another summer of drought, and in a climate where heat is an ongoing concern, wildfire is the region’s immediate threat.
Steven Miranda is fire staff officer for the Coronado National Forest.
Colorado suffered two straight years of deadly fire seasons in 2012 and 2013.
More than three-quarters of Colorado baked under drought conditions just ahead of the wildfires.
This week, they started closing parts of three national forests: Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino and Tonto.
Southern Arizona received some rainfall in the winter months, but forecasters maintain it wasn’t enough.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources reported last winter was the driest on record.
She says desert wildlife can adapt to dry conditions, but animals are not accustomed to going through an entire season with little water.
"We didn’t have that this year, so now they are really working down into areas where we have water, into areas where people have water out.
"All of our wildlife is looking for water."

Climatologists and other experts on Wednesday provided an update on the situation in the Four Corners region — where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet.
They say the area is among the hardest hit and there’s little relief expected, and even robust summer rains might not be enough to replenish the soil and ease the fire danger.
The region is dealing with exceptional drought — the worst category.
That has left farmers, ranchers and water planners bracing for a much different situation than just a year ago when only a fraction of the region was experiencing low levels of dryness.
“We’ve been on this pattern where conditions have dried out, we haven’t seen much relief through last summer or into the winter months and here we are going into the summer of 2018 with over two-thirds of the region already in drought,” he said.
The drought has hit the Colorado River hard.
In New Mexico, stretches of the Rio Grande — another one of North America’s longest rivers — have already gone dry as biologists have been forced to scoop up as many endangered Rio Grande silvery minnows as possible so they can be moved upstream.
The river this summer is expected to dry as far north as Albuquerque, New Mexico’s most populous city.
“While this case initially should have been resolved without filing a costly lawsuit, I am excited New Mexico will finally get to tell its unified story about how Texas and the United States have unfairly tried to scapegoat New Mexico,” Balderas said Wednesday.
Texas officials are reviewing New Mexico’s claims.

In South Africa, the City of Cape Town has been hard hit by this water famine, forcing the city to employ water usage restrictions in order to preserve the little that its dams still hold.
However, what must also be appreciated is the high level of technical competence with respect to water resource and water services planning and provision within the city.
Being one of the few cities in South Africa that manages its water supply from the catchment back to the catchment (with no water board), the city has always had a more holistic view of what it takes to ensure water security for its citizens – there are extensive plans and activities to that effect.
Over and above the use of alternative sources for bulk supply management, demand for potable water is expected to outstrip supply by 2030 in a number of areas, thereby compounding the water crisis.
This is against high levels of non-revenue water, water use inefficiencies and governance failures in several water institutions.
Balancing the demand and supply equation will require significantly improved performance in the measurement and management of all components of non-revenue water and positive behavioural change in consumers to achieve improved water use efficiency.
Internationally, access levels to basic and safely managed sanitation are estimated at 68% compared to 88% for access to basic and safely managed water service.
Poor payment culture The water sector is adversely affected by the poor payment culture, which is pervasive and ranges from institutional consumers, including municipalities owing water boards, government departments owing municipalities, to residential consumers owing municipalities.
Consumer water management practices The most important activity that consumers can do is to quantify their water consumption by, at the veryleast, reading the municipal meter on a regular basis.
We are in a water scarce country after all!

Navajo Presidential Race Draws Several Candidates So Far – Associated Press Navajo President Russell Begaye has joined a handful of others in submitting paperwork for the tribe’s top elected post.
Emily Ellison, Nicholas Taylor and tribal lawmaker Tom Chee were the first to file.
Video Shows Officer Telling Lawmaker He Can Smell Alcohol – Associated Press A New Mexico state lawmaker insists in video released by police that she hasn’t consumed alcohol, but the officer who stops her says he can smell it.
She also says she’s a state lawmaker.
Police say Youngblood performed badly on a field sobriety test.
The restrictions come as conditions throughout the region remain dry.
Teen Charged In Deadly Library Shooting Undergoes Treatment – Eastern New Mexico News, Associated Press The teenager charged in the Clovis library shooting is receiving mental health evaluations and therapy as attorneys prepare for his trial next year.
The Associated Press generally does not identify juveniles accused of crimes.
Opponents Speak Out Against Nuclear Waste Plan – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press Opponents of a proposed storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in southeast New Mexico turned out in force Tuesday night for a public meeting in Albuquerque.
It built a smaller, similar storage facility at a nuclear plant in California.

Climatologists and other experts are scheduled Wednesday to provide an update on the situation in the Four Corners region – where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet.
The area is dealing with exceptional drought – the worst category.
That has left farmers, ranchers and water planners bracing for a much different situation than just a year ago when only a fraction of the region was experiencing low levels of dryness.
With the region’s water resources strained, a top federal official has resumed pressure on states in the Southwest to wrap up long-delayed emergency plans for potential shortages on the Colorado River, which serves 40 million people in the U.S. and Mexico.
"We face an overwhelming risk on the system, and the time for action is now," Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman said Tuesday.
She spoke before the Imperial Irrigation District in Southern California, one of the biggest single users of the Colorado River.
Forecasters say the river will carry only about 43 percent of its average amount of water this year into Lake Powell, one of two big reservoirs on the system.
There’s a 52 percent chance that Mexico and the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada will take a mandatory cut in their share of water in 2020 under the agreements governing the river, forecasters have said.
The river this summer is expected to dry as far north as Albuquerque, New Mexico’s most populous city.
It wasn’t enough to make up for months without meaningful precipitation.

People need to use less water and companies must curb leaks to prevent future water shortages and damage to rivers and wildlife, the Environment Agency (EA) has warned.
Many sources of water supplies are already overstretched and, with climate change and a growing population, much of England could see significant supply shortages by the 2050s – particularly in the south-east.
Large amounts of water are also wasted by households, where average use is 140 litres per person a day.
Taking too much water out of the environment can harm wildlife such as fish, birds and aquatic plants, and damage wetlands which are important habitats for a host of animals and plants.
Climate change is predicted to cause increased river flows in the winter and decreased flows in the summer, which – along with drier conditions because of warmer temperatures – could have a greater effect on wildlife.
More stagnant water during droughts and higher temperatures could also lead to the spread of mosquito borne diseases such as dengue fever and West Nile virus, the report warned.
England’s population is growing, and is set to rise to 58.5 million by 2026, putting even more stress on water supplies.
If no action is taken to reduce demand and increase water supplies , most areas will not be able to meet demand, the report said.
It is the most fundamental thing needed to ensure a healthy environment but we are taking too much of it and have to work together to manage this precious resource.
And while there is not likely to be significant abstraction of water to use in fracking for shale gas in England, there could be local impacts in areas that are already water stressed if the industry develops, the report said.

Britain’s leaky pipes are threatening to cast large areas of the country into drought, officials have warned.
The Environment Agency last night challenged major water companies to improve their infrastructure as it said they were losing the equivalent to 20 million people’s water usage every day.
In a major report, the agency said three billion litres of water a day are lost through leakage, which combined with population growth and the effects of climate change threaten to cause significant shortages in coming years.
It also called on individuals to use less water, calculating the average person gets currently gets through 140 litres in 24 hours.
In total a third of water taken from the natural environment is wasted through leaks, wastage in treatment plants and in private homes, the report found.
Emma Howard Boyd, who chairs the agency, said: "We need to change our attitudes to water use.
“It is the most fundamental thing needed to ensure a healthy environment but we are taking too much of it and have to work together to manage this precious resource.
Taking too much water out of the environment can harm wildlife such as fish, birds and aquatic plants, and damage wetlands which are important habitats for a host of animals and plants.
And in the future, with climate change, river flows are predicted to increase in the winter and decrease in the summer, which along with drier conditions because of warmer temperatures could have a greater effect on wildlife.
If no action is taken to reduce demand and increase supplies of water, most areas will not be able to meet demand if climate change is severe and population growth is high, the report said.

While the rest of us are enjoying the early summer sunshine and record-setting temperatures, farmers and gardeners are beginning to express concern that it is perhaps a bit too dry.
A scant 11 millimetres of rain has fallen on average across Denmark this month, and most of that due to thunderstorms, not steady rainfall.
That’s about one-third of the amount of rain that falls during a typical Danish May.
Sunshine Island indeed Bornholm is parching with just four millimetres of moisture falling throughout the entire month, and some towns on the east coast of Jutland are even drier, with Horsens getting just 2.1 millimetres of rain in all of May.
Those places hit by the thunderstorms, especially on Ascension Day, are faring a bit better.
DMI’s drought index, which measures the risk of drought in Denmark on a scale from 1 to 10, currently stands at 6.8 for the country as a whole, which means that there is generally an ‘increased risk of drought’.
In the northern and eastern part of the country the index is already at eight, and there is little or no rain in the forecast.
Sunny, warm and dry weather will continue In fact, everything seems to point toward dry weather continuing for a while, as temperatures rise at the same time.
Temperatures during the week will be around 25 degrees, heading up to 27-28 degrees in many places by the weekend, with bright sunshine everywhere.
June 1992 is the driest month ever measured in Denmark, when only one millimetre of rain was measured on national level.