According to the December 26, 2023 U.S. Drought Monitor, moderate to exceptional drought covers 27.1% of the United States including Puerto Rico, a decrease from last week’s 27.9%. The worst drought categories (extreme to exceptional drought) slightly decreased from 5.5% last week to 5.4%.
A strong ridge of high pressure dominated the upper-level atmospheric circulation across the contiguous U.S.(during most of this U.S. Drought Monitor week (December 20–26). The ridge was responsible for warmer-than-normal temperatures across almost all of the contiguous U.S. and, for most of the week, dry weather for much of the country.
A very strong upper-level low-pressure system moved across the Southwest during the last half of the week, ending up covering the central half of the contiguous U.S. by the end of the week. This weather system, with its surface lows and cold fronts, spread Pacific moisture across southern California and the Southwest, then tapped Gulf of Mexico moisture to generate rain or snow across the Plains, Midwest, and Southeast. The week ended up wetter than normal from southern California to the Four Corners states, across much of the Great Plains and Upper Midwest, and over parts of the interior Southeast. It was drier than normal across the rest of the West into the northern High Plains, across the Eastern Seaboard, and in much of the Ohio Valley to eastern Great Lakes.
Drought or abnormal dryness contracted or was reduced in intensity over parts of the Southwest, Great Plains, Midwest, and Southeast. Drought or abnormal dryness expanded or intensified in areas that have seen persistently dry conditions, especially in parts of the Ohio Valley to Southeast where rain didn’t fall this week, and in parts of the northern Rockies.
Nationally, contraction was more than expansion, so the nationwide moderate to exceptional drought area decreased this week. Abnormal dryness and drought are currently affecting over 124 million people across the United States including Puerto Rico—about 39.8% of the population.
The full U.S. Drought Monitor weekly update is available from Drought.gov.
In addition to Drought.gov, you can find further information on the current drought as well as on this week’s Drought Monitor update at the National Drought Mitigation Center
The most recent U.S. Drought Outlook is available from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides information about the drought’s influence on crops and livestock.
For additional drought information, follow #DroughtMonitor on Facebook and Twitter.
