Drought ReportNovember 2024

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Issued 12 December 2024

Detailed Drought Overview

November 2024 had a vigorous and active upper-level atmospheric circulation over North America. Several closed lows and shortwave troughs and ridges moved through a westerly flow across the CONUS. The troughs and closed lows brought cold fronts and surface low-pressure systems with them. Some spread Pacific moisture across the Pacific coast while others tapped Gulf of Mexico moisture to generate precipitation over the central third of the country. The month ended up wetter than normal over most of the West Coast and Pacific Northwest, from the southern Rockies to Great Lakes, from the Lower Mississippi Valley to Ohio Valley, and over part of the coastal Southeast. November was drier than normal in bands between these wet bands, especially over parts of the Desert Southwest, southern Texas, Florida, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England. The fronts resulted in an oscillating pattern of warm and cold temperatures throughout the month. The long-term average ("climatological mean") circulation for November consists of a slight ridge over the western CONUS and slight trough over the East. The circulation pattern for November 2024, however, when averaged over the month, was fairly zonal with slight troughing over the Southwest and ridging over the East. This anomalous circulation pattern was associated with cooler-than-normal monthly temperatures over much of the West and warmer-than-normal temperatures for most of the country east of the Rockies. Alaska and Hawaii were mostly drier than normal, and the U.S. Virgin Islands wetter than normal, with a mixed precipitation anomaly pattern over Puerto Rico. November monthly temperatures were mostly cooler than normal over Alaska and warmer than normal over Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a mixed anomaly pattern over Hawaii.

The dry conditions resulted in a expansion or intensification of drought and abnormal dryness across much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast and parts of the Southwest, Florida, and the northern Rockies to western portions of the northern Plains. The above-normal precipitation contracted or reduced the intensity of drought and abnormal dryness in the Northwest, southern Rockies to Great Lakes, Lower Mississippi Valley to Ohio Valley and central Appalachians, and in parts of the coastal Southeast and Hawaii. Drought contraction exceeded expansion with the USDM-based national moderate-to-exceptional drought footprint across the CONUS decreasing from 54.1% at the end of October to 43.6% at the end of November (from 45.3% to 36.5% for the 50 states and Puerto Rico).

According to the Palmer Drought Index, which goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, about 35.7% of the CONUS was in moderate to extreme drought at the end of November, which is less than the value at the end of October.

Drought conditions at the end of November, as depicted on the December 3, 2024 USDM map, included the following core drought and abnormally dry areas:

Palmer Drought Index

The Palmer drought indices measure the balance between moisture demand (evapotranspiration driven by temperature) and moisture supply (precipitation). The Palmer Z Index depicts moisture conditions for the current month, while the Palmer Hydrological Drought Index (PHDI) and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) depict the current month's cumulative moisture conditions integrated over the last several months.

While both the PDSI and PHDI indices show long-term moisture conditions, the PDSI depicts meteorological drought while the PHDI depicts hydrological drought. The PDSI map may show less severe and extensive drought (as well as wet spell conditions) in some parts of the country than the PHDI map because the meteorological conditions that produce drought and wet spell conditions are not as long-lasting as the hydrological impacts.

Used together, the Palmer Z Index and PHDI maps show that short-term drought occurred in southern Texas, the Florida peninsula, central to eastern parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, and from the Carolinas to New England, expanding, intensifying, or introducing long-term drought areas and shrinking long-term wet areas (PHDI maps for November compared to October). Short-term wet conditions occurred from northern California to Washington, and from the southern Rockies to Mid- and Upper Mississippi Valley, introducing or expanding long-term wet conditions or shrinking long-term drought.

The SPI maps illustrate how moisture conditions have varied considerably through time and space over the last two years:

  • Most of the Northeast is dry at 2 to 3 months, with New England and/or the coastal areas dry at 1 and 6 months, and parts of the Mid-Atlantic Coast dry at 9 and 24 months.
  • Much of the Midwest is dry at 3 months, with eastern parts dry at the 2- and 6-month time scales.
  • The central Appalachians have dry conditions at the 2- and 6- to 24-month time scales.
  • The Florida peninsula is dry at 1 month while the rest of the Southeast is dry at the 2-month time scale.
  • The Tennessee Valley has dryness at 1, 2, and 6 months.
  • Much of the northern Plains is dry at 3 months, while western parts are dry at the 2- and 6- to 12-month time scales.
  • Parts of Texas are dry at all time scales, especially along the Rio Grande Valley.
  • Parts of the northern Rockies are dry at 2 to 24 months, with Wyoming parts dry at the 1-month time scale.
  • Parts to most of the Desert Southwest are dry at the 1- to 12-month time scales.
  • At the wet end of the scale, much of the Northeast went from wet at the 12- to 24-month time scales to dry at the 1- to 6-month time scales. The northern Plains to western Great Lakes flipped from dry at 3 months to wet at the 1-month time scale, while the Great Lakes flipped from wet at 9- to 24-month time scales to dry at 3 months. Parts of the southern and central Rockies to southern Plains are consistently wet, especially at 1 to 2 months and 12 to 24 months.

For the Northern Hemisphere, November marks the end of climatological autumn, which is the season when sun angle gets lower and temperatures and evapotranspiration begin their seasonal decline. During November 2024, the anomalous circulation pattern resulted in temperatures that were much warmer than normal across most of the country east of the Rockies, with record warmth in the South and parts of New England. Evapotranspiration rates were unusually high in the East and South. The month was also drier than normal in parts of the East, South, and West. Where it was both unusually warm and dry, the 1-month SPEI values were more extreme (dry) than the corresponding SPI, especially across southern Texas, the Florida peninsula, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England.

Temperatures have been unusually warm for much of the last 12 months for much of the CONUS. This month was an anomaly for the West, where it was cooler-than-normal in November; anomalous warmth extended across the West at the 2- to 12-month time scales. It was record warm in parts of the Plains, Midwest, West, and New England during September-November, in the Southwest, Gulf of Mexico Coast, and Northeast during June-November, and in the southern Plains, Midwest, parts of the Southwest, and Mid-Atlantic to New England for the year to date and last 12 months. These areas were generally drier than average for several of these periods. The heat made drought conditions worse, so the SPEI values were more extreme than the SPI values for the Southwest to northern Plains, parts of Texas, and Great Lakes to Northeast at the 3-month time scale, the central Appalachians and much of the West at 6 to 9 months, and much of the West (especially the Southwest) at 12 months (SPEI maps for the last 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months) (SPI maps for the last 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months).

The combination of heat and dryness in the Northeast and northern Plains for the last 3 months, and in the Southwest at 3- to 9-month time scales, resulted in record low SPEI values when the corresponding SPI values were (mostly) not record low:

The last 1 to 6 years have been unusually warm across most of the CONUS, with record heat in the Northeast to northern Plains and Midwest to southern Plains (state temperature rank maps for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 years). Precipitation in November and earlier in the year helped reduce deficits over the last 12 months. But the last 3 to 6 months have been very dry across the Northeast to Midwest, parts of the Plains, and much of the West. For the last 12 months, dryness has dominated the central Appalachians, parts of the Ohio Valley, and large parts of the West. The last 2 years have been very dry in the Pacific Northwest, central Appalachians, Ohio Valley, and parts of the Southwest; the last 3 to 4 years were dry in the Pacific Northwest, central to southern Plains and Southwest, and Mid-Atlantic coast to central Appalachians; and the last 5 years have been quite dry in the West to Great Plains (state precipitation rank maps for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 years). In the last 1 to 6 years, the SPEI is more extreme than the SPI in the Pacific Northwest and central Appalachians to Tennessee Valleys, but especially in the Southwest to Lower Mississippi Valley. In the western U.S., where drought has dominated for much of the last 20 years, the combination of excessive heat and dryness has resulted in more extreme SPEI values than SPI values in parts of the West for the last 2 to 6 years, especially at the longer time scales (SPEI maps for last 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 months) (SPI maps for last 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 months).

A focus of the heat and dryness over the last 6 years has been the Lower Rio Grande Valley, as illustrated by the Texas Trans Pecos (Texas climate division 5). The Trans Pecos division has had record low SPEI values for the last 18-60 months while the SPI has been dry but not record dry. At the 60-month time scale, the SPEI (the combination of persistent heat and dryness) exceeds the magnitude of the lengthy record droughts of the early 2000s and 1950s, whereas the SPI (just the persistently low precipitation) is nowhere near as extreme or persistent as the dryness in the early 2000s and 1950s:

  • The Trans Pecos had a record dry 18-, 24-, 30-, 36-, 48-, and 60-month SPEI, while the SPI was not record dry for those periods (18, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60 months).

Regional Discussion

Hawaii

November 2024 was drier than normal across most of the main Hawaiian Islands, while parts of the Big Island were wetter than normal; this precipitation anomaly pattern held for the last 1 to 6 months. At 8 to 12 months, much of Oahu and parts of the Big Island were wetter than normal while the other islands were drier than normal. A mixed anomaly pattern dominated at 24-36 months, while drier-than-normal conditions dominated at longer time scales (precipitation anomaly maps for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 months) (climate engine model percent of normal precipitation map for the last month).

Monthly streamflow was mostly near normal across the main islands with a few below-normal streams. Based on satellite analyses (stressed vegetation, drought stress, VHI), vegetation was stressed on parts of all of the main islands.

Extreme drought continued on Kauai and developed on Molokai, abnormal dryness and moderate drought continued on the Big Island, while moderate to severe drought was on the other main islands. The drought area in Hawaii shrank dramatically from 52.6% at the end of October to about 18.9% of the state on the December 3, 2024 USDM map.

Alaska

November 2024 was drier than normal across most of Alaska (except for some northern and central stations). The last 2 to 3 months were drier than normal across western Alaska, the Aleutians, and parts of the Gulf Coast, Cook Inlet, and Panhandle. Dryness was limited to southern areas (Aleutians, Gulf Coast, Panhandle) and some eastern interior areas at 4- to 12-month time scales. Below-normal precipitation was mostly limited to the Aleutians at longer time scales. The snow water content (SWE) was above average in some basins and below average in others (low elevation station precipitation anomaly maps for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 months) (high elevation SNOTEL station SWE percentile map for the last month) (SNOTEL basin and station SWE percent of average map for the last month) (climate division precipitation rank maps for the last 1, 3, 6, 11, and 12 months) (climate engine model percent of normal precipitation map for the last month) (Leaky Bucket model precipitation percentile map).

November temperatures averaged near to cooler than normal across most of the state with above-normal temperatures along the north coast and in the Aleutians. This overall pattern of departures from normal held but became mixed at 2- to 12-month time scales. Above-average temperatures spread across the central to eastern parts of the state at 6 months and across the state by 11-12 months. This difference is due to the normals being based on the most recent three decades (1991-2020), the long-term averages are based on the 1925-2024 period, and a pronounced warming trend has occurred in recent decades (low elevation station temperature anomaly maps for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12 months) (climate division temperature rank maps for the last 1, 3, 6, 11, and 12 months) (gridded temperature percentile maps for the last 1, 3, and 11 months) (Leaky Bucket model temperature percentile map).

Monthly streamflow, for those streams that haven't frozen over, was near to below normal. Satellite observations of vegetative health (stressed vegetation, drought stress, VHI) revealed few areas of stressed vegetation, and satellite observations suggested some low groundwater in southern areas.

The small area of abnormal dryness in the southern Panhandle disappeared this month, leaving the state free of drought and abnormal dryness on the December 3, 2024 USDM map.

Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands

November 2024 was wetter than normal over the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) and the eastern half and the west coast of Puerto Rico (PR). Drier-than-normal conditions expanded across much of PR at the 2- and 3-month time scales but contracted at 4 to 8 months. PR and the USVI were mostly wetter than normal at longer time scales (low elevation station precipitation anomaly maps for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 months) (radar-based precipitation anomaly estimates for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, and 12 months) (climate engine model percent of normal precipitation map for the last month: PR and USVI, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico region).

Temperatures were generally warmer than normal for the last 1 to 12 months (low elevation station temperature anomaly maps for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12 months).

Root zone analysis indicated that soil conditions were mostly wet across PR (root zone soil saturation fraction). Satellite observations of vegetative health (stressed vegetation for PR and USVI, drought stress for PR and USVI, VHI for PR and USVI) revealed few if any areas of stressed vegetation. Monthly streamflow on PR showed mostly near- to above-normal stream levels. In the USVI, groundwater levels rose during the first half of November then fell slightly later in the month at St. Thomas and St. John, and steadily rose throughout the month at St. Croix. The end-of-November groundwater level was in the middle to upper third of the recent historical record at St. Croix, but reached near-record values at St. John and St. Thomas, being just a few feet below the surface.

Both PR and the USVI were free of drought and abnormal dryness on the December 3, 2024 USDM map.

CONUS State Precipitation Ranks

Above-normal precipitation during November 2024 across a large part of the central CONUS, as well as part of the Southeast and a large part of the West, was just enough and fell in just the right places to prevent any states from having a top ten driest November. However, 12 states had a precipitation rank in the driest third of the historical record for the month.

The last three months had areas that were wetter than normal (northern California to Washington, central and southern Rockies to central and southern Plains, parts of the Southeast and Ohio Valley), but, in general, September-November 2024 was drier than normal across most of the Northeast, Midwest, northern Plains, and Desert Southwest, and parts of the northern Rockies, Rio Grande Valley, western Gulf of Mexico coast, and Mid-Atlantic coast, with record dryness occurring locally in the Northeast, Desert Southwest, and southern Texas. About half (27) of the Lower 48 States had a precipitation rank in the driest third of the 1895-2024 record for September-November. Thirteen ranked in the top ten driest category — Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maine (all driest on record); Massachusetts (second driest); New Hampshire (fourth driest); Rhode Island (fifth driest); Maryland and Vermont (both sixth driest); New York (eighth driest); Pennsylvania (ninth driest); and Arizona and Minnesota (both tenth driest).

June-November 2024 was drier than normal across much of the West, Ohio Valley, and Northeast, and parts of the Plains and Deep South. About half (23) of the Lower 48 States had a precipitation rank in the driest third of the 130-year record for June-November. Seven ranked in the top ten driest category — Delaware (second driest), Maryland (fourth driest), New Jersey (fifth driest), Wyoming (seventh driest), Massachusetts and West Virginia (both eighth driest), and Arizona (tenth driest).

Wet conditions earlier in the year resulted in precipitation ranks that were not so dry at longer time scales. January-November 2024 was drier than normal in parts of the West, Plains, coastal Mid-Atlantic, and central Appalachians. Nine states had a precipitation rank in the driest third of the historical record for January-November, and none ranked in the top ten or even top 20 driest category.

December 2023-November 2024 was drier than normal across large parts of the West (especially the Desert Southwest and northern Rockies) and parts of the Plains (especially northern Plains and Rio Grande Valley) and Ohio Valley to central Gulf of Mexico coast states. Seven states had a precipitation rank in the driest third of the historical record for December-November, but none ranked in the top ten driest category. Very dry conditions occurred in parts of some western and southern Plains states, but wet conditions in other parts counterbalanced the dryness which moderated the statewide ranks.

Agricultural Belts

During November 2024, the Primary Hard Red Winter Wheat agricultural belt was warmer and wetter than normal. The month ranked as the wettest and 15th warmest November, regionwide, in the 1895-2024 record.

October marks the beginning of the growing season for the Primary Hard Red Winter Wheat belt. October-November 2024 was warmer and wetter than normal. The period ranked as the 16th wettest and third warmest October-November, regionwide, on record.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as of December 3, 2024, drought affected approximately 38% of barley production, 54% of corn production, 21% of cotton production, 31% of sorghum production, 49% of soybean production, 34% of spring wheat production, 29% of winter wheat production, 48% of hay acreage, 40% of the cattle inventory, 29% of the milk cow inventory, and 40% of the sheep inventory. Most of these values are lower than they were at the end of last month.

Based on November 24 USDA statistics, 12% of the winter wheat crop was in poor to very poor condition, and 35% of the nation's topsoil and 46% of the subsoil were short or very short of moisture (dry or very dry). These values are less than they were at the end of last month.

In the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) (maps — Federated States of Micronesia [FSM], Northern Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands [RMI], Republic of Palau [ROP], American Samoa, basinwide), November 2024 was wetter than normal in the Marshalls, American Samoa, Yap, Pohnpei, and Saipan, but drier than normal at the rest of the main USAPI stations.

Monthly precipitation amounts were below the monthly minimum needed to meet most water needs (4 inches in the Marianas and Pago Pago, and 8 inches elsewhere) at Lukunor, Kapingamarangi, and Pingelap in the FSM, and at Jaluit and Utirik in the Marshall Islands. November precipitation was above the monthly minimums in American Samoa, Palau, the Marianas, and the rest of the FSM and Marshalls. The 4- and 8-inch thresholds are important because, if monthly precipitation falls below the threshold, then water shortages or drought become a concern.


In the table below, the station identified as Koror is Palau International Airport (Airai).

As measured by percent of normal precipitation, Kapingamarangi, Kosrae, and Lukunor were drier than normal at all time scales in the short term (November and the last 3 months [September-November]) and long term (year to date [January-November] and last 12 months [December 2023-November 2024]). Chuuk was near to drier than normal at all 4 time periods. Airai and Majuro were near to wetter than normal in the short-term but drier than normal in the long-term. Pohnpei and Yap were drier than normal for the last 12 months but near to wetter than normal for the other 3 time periods. Guam was drier than normal for November but near to wetter than normal for the other 3 time periods. Kwajalein was near normal for all 4 time periods. Pago Pago and Saipan were wetter than normal for all 4 time periods.

Based on percent of normal average (instead of normal median values), in the Marianas Islands, November was drier than normal across most of the main island stations. In contrast, the last 2 to 4 months were generally wetter than normal across the main islands. Rota was drier than normal but the other main islands were wetter than normal at the 5- to 10-month time scales, with a mixed precipitation anomaly pattern at 11 to 12 months. Wetter-than-normal conditions dominated at 24 to 36 months, with a mixed anomaly pattern at longer time periods (percent of normal precipitation maps for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 months).

Based on percent of normal average (instead of normal median values), the Marshall Islands were mostly wetter than normal in November and the last 2 to 5 months. Drier-than-normal conditions dominated at the 6- to 24-month time scales. The islands had a mixed precipitation anomaly pattern at all longer time scales (percent of normal precipitation maps for the last 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 months).

According to the November 30 USDM produced for the USAPI:

  • The Marianas, Palau, and American Samoa continued free of drought and abnormal dryness;
  • In the FSM, moderate drought improved to abnormal dryness at Kapingamarangi and abnormal dryness developed at Kosrae, while the rest of the main islands remained free of drought and abnormal dryness;
  • In the Marshalls, abnormal dryness returned to Jaluit, with the rest of the main islands remaining free of drought and abnormal dryness.

The level of the reservoir on Majuro began the month at 31.9 million gallons, climbed to a peak of 33.3 million gallons on the 4th, reached a low value of 30.8 million gallons on the 16th, then rose again to end the month at 32.3 million gallons. If the reservoir dips below 28.8 million gallons, drought becomes a concern. Satellite observations of vegetative health (drought stress, stressed vegetation, VHI) revealed no areas of stressed vegetation on Guam.

November 2024 precipitation ranks ranged from dry to wet, based on data available at the time of this report. Some locations have had dry conditions for several months:

  • Pingelap: fourth driest November (in a 40-year record) and second driest October-November and September-November.
  • Utirik: sixth driest November (19 years).
  • Kapingamarangi: ninth driest November (36 years), and fifth driest May-November and April-November as well as the eighth driest December-November.
  • Kosrae: 15th driest November (57 years), but ninth driest August-November and seventh driest December-November.
  • Lukunor: 12th driest November (41 years), but second driest June-November and 12th driest December-November.
  • Jaluit: 14th driest November (41 years), but third driest July-November and June-November and fifth driest December-November.

The following analysis of historical data for the USAPI stations in the Global Historical Climatology Network-Daily (GHCN-D) dataset, augmented with fill-in data from the 1981-2010 Normals, helps put the current data into historical perspective by computing ranks based on the period of record. The table below lists the precipitation ranks for November 2024, June-November 2024 (last 6 months), and December 2023-November 2024 (the last 12 months). Some stations have a long period of record and their dataset is fairly complete, while other stations have a shorter period of record and the dataset has some missing data.

SPI values for seven time periods for Pacific Islands, computed by the Honolulu NWS office:

SPI values for seven time periods for Pacific Islands

Southeast

As noted by the Southeast Regional Climate Center, mean temperatures were above average across the Southeast, and precipitation was below average across most of the region, in November. Monthly temperatures were above average across Puerto Rico and Saint Croix, and slightly below average across Saint Thomas. San Juan, PR (1898-2024) recorded its second warmest November on record. Precipitation was above average across much of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

There were mostly minor changes in drought conditions across the Southeast in November. Moderate (D1) drought expanded across northern portions of Virginia, eastern portions of the Carolinas, northern portions of Georgia, and parts of the Florida Panhandle. Severe (D2) drought persisted across eastern portions of Virginia and northern and southern portions of Alabama, where pockets of extreme (D3) drought were also found. Abnormal dryness (D0) emerged across South Florida. On the other hand, areas of abnormal dryness (D0) and moderate (D1) drought were eliminated across central portions of South Carolina and eastern portions of Georgia. The pockets of abnormal dryness (D0) across Puerto Rico were also eliminated by the end of the month.

Recent dry conditions have helped farmers complete their harvests, but extreme dryness in some areas, particularly in Alabama, has forced others to abandon plans for planting winter forage and crops. Many producers have already begun feeding hay, raising concerns about shortages lasting through the winter. Producers who are unable to find supplemental hay may be forced to sell their livestock early.

South

As explained by the Southern Regional Climate Center, warm and wet conditions across much of the Southern region led to many records falling during November. Precipitation was variable across the Southern region during November with well below normal accumulations in South Texas and the Big Bend region of Texas, while precipitation was near to slightly above normal in the east, with isolated higher areas near the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi. Precipitation in the northwestern portion of the region was well above normal with many stations in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles exceeding 800 percent of normal precipitation for November.

As of December 3rd, 62 percent of the Southern region was free of drought, up from 39 percent on November 5th. There were widespread improvements to drought status across the Texas Panhandle, much of Oklahoma, western Arkansas, East Texas, portions of Louisiana, much of Mississippi, and western Tennessee. Degradations were evident in Deep South Texas, isolated areas of Central and Far West Texas, portions of eastern Arkansas, and eastern Tennessee. As of December 3rd: 23 percent of the region is in Moderate Drought, 8.7 percent in Severe Drought, 3.7 percent in Extreme Drought, and 3.2 percent in Exceptional Drought. Extreme and Exceptional Drought are restricted to Central Texas, Far West Texas, a small portion of southcentral Tennessee, and a very small area in southeastern Mississippi. Eastern and southern portions of the region continued to see impacts from ongoing drought, including low stream flows, low reservoir storage, low soil moisture, and stressed range and pasture conditions. Areas across Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle saw easing of drought conditions and a rebound in soil moisture conditions with timely rains during November.

Midwest

As described by the Midwest Regional Climate Center, the Midwest as a whole achieved the 9th warmest November on record and the 3rd warmest fall. Preliminary rankings indicate the Midwest as a whole had its 7th wettest November on record. Fall (September-November) precipitation for the Midwest totaled 4.28 inches (184.9 mm), which was 1.78 inches (45.2 mm) below normal.

The month concluded with about 70 percent of the Midwest classified as abnormally dry or in drought, according to the USDM map, which was a 24 percent reduction in drought coverage compared to the start of November. Dryness was completely removed around the southern extent of the Mississippi River and along the Ohio River. Southeast Ohio, which had been locked in exceptional (D4) drought for months, saw notable improvements in drought extent and severity. Relief was notable across the central and western regions, too, where severe (D2) drought was largely eliminated.

Northeast

As summarized by the Northeast Regional Climate Center, November and autumn featured record warm temperatures, record low precipitation, and record-setting snowfall extremes, along with intensifying drought conditions. Regionwide, November 2024 was the fifth warmest November with precipitation 84 percent of normal, and autumn was the second warmest and sixth driest.

The USDM from November 5 showed 57 percent of the Northeast in drought and 37 percent of the region as abnormally dry. The first half of November was quite dry for much of the region, allowing drought and abnormal dryness to expand and intensify. However, the second half of the month featured some beneficial precipitation, pausing deterioration for most areas. During November, extreme drought expanded in New Jersey and was introduced in Delaware, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Severe and moderate drought expanded in an area from Maryland to Maine, pushing farther inland, as well. Abnormal dryness increased in coverage in interior locations. As of November 19, only 3.15 percent of the Northeast was not experiencing drought or abnormal dryness, the third lowest percentage since the USDM began in 2000. The main exception was the region's southwestern corner, including southwestern Pennsylvania and much of West Virginia, which saw timely precipitation throughout the month. Exceptional drought was erased from West Virginia after a record-long stretch of 12 consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, extreme drought eased, and severe and moderate drought contracted, in the region's southwestern corner. The USDM from November 26 showed 61 percent of the Northeast in drought and 36 percent of the region as abnormally dry.

There was a multitude of impacts tied to the dry conditions. Streamflow and/or groundwater levels were much below normal or record low in multiple parts of the region, particularly in an area from Maryland to Maine. Sections of some smaller waterways in places like southeastern Pennsylvania and eastern Massachusetts completely dried up. Meanwhile, the salt front on the Delaware River was unusually far north, nearly 20 miles upstream from its typical November location, reaching the Philadelphia Airport for only the fifth time on record. Private wells ran dry in places like Pennsylvania, Maine, and Connecticut. A drought-related water shortage forced a West Virginia school to close and switch to remote learning for multiple days. There were concerns in Pennsylvania and Maine about limited water supplies for rural firefighting operations. Reservoir levels also declined in some areas including central New Jersey, where the Manasquan Reservoir hit record-low levels, and Attleboro, Massachusetts, where water had to be imported from a nearby community. Additional water suppliers in places like eastern Massachusetts, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania enacted mandatory water restrictions, while residents in many other areas were asked to voluntarily conserve water.

Wildfire activity continued to be unusually high across the Northeast, particularly during the first half of the month, with fires burning deeper making them harder to extinguish. Pennsylvania saw at least 100 wildfires in just the first week of November, with the state seeing more wildfires this fall than during all of the spring fire season. New Jersey saw over 300 wildfires between October 20 and the first week of November. The state had seen 30 percent more fires than average for the year (through mid-November), with 7,000 more acres burned than average. A fire along the New York-New Jersey border consumed around 2,500 acres in each state, making it one of New York's largest fires since 2008. The fire prompted evacuations, and as firefighters battled the blaze, schools were closed, and power was turned off. New York City's fire department responded to a record-high 271 brush fires from November 1 to 14 and created its first-ever brush fire task force. Massachusetts had over 400 wildfires in November, well above the six-year average of 20 fires. Maine saw ten times its average number of fires during October and the first week of November. Connecticut officials called this wildfire season "one of the most challenging" the state has faced in recent history, with 227 fires between October 21 and late November. West Virginia saw over 100 wildfires in November, pushing the year-to-date total over 1,000, which was above the annual average of 796 wildfires (based on the state's 2018 hazard mitigation plan). Some of the wildfires in the Northeast damaged houses and forced residents to evacuate, while wildfire smoke reduced air quality, led to hazy skies, and limited visibility on roadways. Burn bans were enacted or remained in place in multiple locations through much of November. However, beneficial precipitation later in the month allowed many of these bans to be lifted.

Topsoil was notably dry for large portions of multiple states, with USDA data for agricultural lands showing 100 percent of Connecticut and New Jersey, 94 percent of Maryland, 92 percent of Delaware, 88 percent of West Virginia, and 56 percent of Pennsylvania having topsoil moisture in the very short-short categories, the driest two categories, for the week ending November 17. For the same week, only 16 percent of winter wheat had emerged in New Jersey compared to the five-year average of 73 percent. Dry conditions made planting fall cover crops difficult, with some growers relying on irrigation. However, expenses related to irrigation and purchasing feed drove up operations costs for farms, which also lost revenue due to reduced yields. Farmers across the Northeast reported their Christmas trees, particularly saplings, were dying off due to the drought conditions. For instance, over 1,000 Christmas trees died on a farm in Frederick County, Maryland, resulting in at least $10,000 in losses for the 100 trees that were supposed to be sold this year.

High Plains

As discussed by the High Plains Regional Climate Center, the steady intensification of drought conditions across the High Plains region was halted in November, with large portions of the region observing over 200 percent of their normal precipitation. However, parts of Wyoming and the Dakotas were not as fortunate, missing out on the much-needed precipitation. Outside of Colorado, temperatures remained above normal at the end of the fall season.

Heavy precipitation, particularly in Kansas and eastern Colorado, helped ease drought conditions this month. For the most part, only improvements were made in November. Overall, the region observed a decrease of over 9 percent in abnormally dry to exceptional drought conditions (D0 to D4). Kansas benefited greatly from the precipitation, with up to 3 categories of improvement this month. Extreme drought (D3) and severe drought (D2) were eliminated, while moderate drought (D1) was reduced by nearly 46 percent in the state. Soil moisture and winter wheat have also responded positively to the influx of moisture. Colorado also experienced widespread improvements this month. Drought conditions across the eastern part of the state were significantly reduced, with only D0 remaining. The pocket of D3 near Fort Collins remains but has shrunk significantly. Elsewhere in the region, other improvements and degradation were observed.

West

As summarized by the Western Regional Climate Center, November was marked by relatively normal temperatures across the western United States with areas in northern New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, California, and Nevada seeing below normal temperatures. Precipitation totals on the other hand were very varied depending on location. Most of southern Nevada, southern California, and Arizona saw no measurable precipitation for the month of November. This tied the driest November for these stations. Of more impact, were the effects of an AR4 rated atmospheric river (on a scale of 1 to 5) that impacted the Pacific Northwest and northern California from November 19th through 22nd bringing record rain totals to many sites.

According to the USDM at the end of November, 35 percent of the West was in drought. A wetter-than-normal November for much of the West helped to decrease drought conditions by 8 percent from last month. Moderate drought (D1) is still present in all western states. Areas of extreme (D3) drought are found in eastern Montana, southwestern Montana, the southern tip of Nevada, eastern Arizona, and southern New Mexico. The only areas of exceptional (D4) drought is in west central Montana.

Alaska summary: Temperatures across Alaska were mostly normal with temperatures ranging only a few degrees above or below normal. Precipitation totals were well below normal for much of Alaska with multiple locations tying driest November records at 0 inches. The stations that tied their driest November at 0 inches include Prudhoe Bay (0.33 inch below normal), Bettles (1.15 inches below normal), Tanana (0.56 inch below normal), and Northway (0.51 inch below normal). Some other stations that reported below normal precipitation were St. Paul at 0.92 inch (2.05 inches below normal), Petersburg at 4.45 inches (7.83 inches below normal), and Kenai at 0.11 inch (1.3 inches below normal). Alaska also remains drought free with no areas even classified as abnormally dry (D0).

Hawaii summary: Temperatures remained around normal for the islands of Hawaii in November. Precpitation totals were also normal for all but Maui Island where they saw below normal totals in Kahului at 0.17 inch (1.64 inches below normal). A return to more normal precipitation totals compared to October allowed for Hawaii to see a large reprieve in drought conditions with only 19 percent of the state now being under drought at the end of November, a 34 percent decrease from last month. All islands still have some locations under D1 (moderate drought) and a few new small areas degraded to D3 (extreme drought) in southwest Molokai and southwest Maui with southwest Kauai remaining in D3 conditions from last month.