The percentage of the U.S. affected by drought has fallen 15 of the past 16 weeks and are now at the lowest levels since September 2017.
In the Midwest, which the U.S. Drought Monitor defines as Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, drought is only present in 1.9% of the region, appearing in small portions of northern Minnesota and southwest Missouri.
The Plains, which the U.S. Drought Monitor defines as Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, are more severely affected – with 30.7% of the region currently affected.
That includes 27.1% of the state suffering from the two most severe drought categories, D3 (extreme) and D4 (exceptional).
Left unchecked, severe drought will cause longer term hydrological and ecological affects.
Most of the country’s current drought is parked in the western part of the country, where 74.4% of the region is affected.
More than 50 million Americans live in the portions of this region afflicted by drought.
“Elsewhere, another storm system is expected to move in from the Pacific early next week, bringing additional precipitation to the west coast states.
In between these two storm systems, a ridge in the jet stream will deliver dry conditions to the Plains and Midwest.” NOAA’s monthly precipitation outlook for December also hints at further recovery throughout the rest of this month.
Wetter-than-normal conditions are probable throughout the West, South, Southeast, Midwest and Plains this month, although seasonally dry weather is more likely across parts of the upper Midwest.