According to the November 29, 2022 U.S. Drought Monitor, moderate to exceptional drought covers 48.1% of the United States including Puerto Rico, a decrease from last week’s 49.6%. The worst drought categories (extreme to exceptional drought) decreased from 11.7% last week to 10.9%.
A series of fast-moving Pacific weather systems sprinted across the contiguous U.S. in a strong westerly flow during this U.S. Drought Monitor week (November 23-29). Their fronts and surface low pressure systems spread rain and snow across parts of the West, then tapped Gulf of Mexico moisture to drench the southern Plains and parts of the Mississippi Valley as they moved east. The precipitation was heavy enough to give the southern Plains and parts of the Lower to Mid-Mississippi Valley, as well as a strip across the southern Great Lakes and another strip across the Southeast, a wetter-than-normal week.
Large parts of the central to northern Plains, western Great Lakes, and areas east of the Mississippi Valley were drier than normal. Parts of the Rockies were wetter than normal, but most of the West ended up receiving less than the normal amount of precipitation usually received during this time of year due to the fast movement of the weather systems. The precipitation and clouds gave much of the West and parts of the southern Plains a cooler-than-normal week, while the rest of the contiguous U.S. east of the Rockies averaged warmer than normal. Drought and abnormal dryness contracted across a large part of the southern Plains to parts of the Mississippi Valley, and in a few parts of the Midwest, Southeast, and West.
Drought or abnormal dryness expanded or intensified in parts of the Great Lakes, Tennessee Valley, and Southeast. Nationally, contraction exceeded expansion, with the nationwide moderate to exceptional drought area decreasing this week.
Abnormal dryness and drought are currently affecting over 199 million people across the United States including Puerto Rico—about 64.2% 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.
