2010 Drought
Updated:
May 2, 2008 11:21
The Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast: Widespread rains of 1 to 2 inches brought short-term relief to much of the Southeast drought area during this USDM period. Contractions to the drought areas were made in several states, but significant long-term deficits remained, ranging from 5-15 inches over the last 6 months to 12-20 inches over the last 12 months, with locally bigger deficits. Surface conditions improved temporarily, but deeper soil moisture remained dry and groundwater levels and multiple-day averaged streamflows continued low in many places. The Tennessee Valley Authority lakes continued low in spite of the recent rains.
D0 (abnormally dry) was removed in a hole over southeast Virginia where 4 to 8 inches of rain fell last USDM week and an additional 1 to 2 inches fell this week. Two to 3 inch rains removed the spot of severe drought (D2) over central Virginia. The D1 (moderate drought) was trimmed in Virginia and North Carolina. The eastern edge of D2 in the Carolinas was pulled back. Conservation measures and the rains of recent weeks have helped replenish many of the reservoirs in North Carolina, but low well levels and streamflows still reflected subnormal groundwater conditions. The Catawba Basin in North Carolina has received less rain than areas to the east. Consequently, the D3 (extreme drought) area was shifted westward in North and South Carolina.
Flooding on the Lower Mississippi River, plus locally heavy rains in Madison County, Louisiana, prompted pullback of the D0 along the Louisiana-Mississippi state line. D0 was pulled back in central Mississippi, D1 dented in southern Mississippi, and D1 trimmed in northeast Mississippi where 1-3 inch rains fell.
After a generally wet fall, winter, and early spring, the Northeast experienced unusually dry weather during the last month and, in some areas, last 2 months. Near record heat was reported during the last 2 weeks in western New York. Stream levels dropped and several wildfires broke out in the region early this USDM week. But widespread 1-inch, and locally 2-inch, rains late in the week brought temporary relief and held off the introduction of D0 to the Northeast.
Looking Ahead: Another in a series of low pressure systems and associated fronts will move across the nation Wednesday through Monday, May 5, bringing rain to the southern and eastern states and rain or snow to the north central states. Precipitation amounts of a half inch to one inch are expected across the Southeast, with up to 2 inches over parts of the Northeast. One to 3 inches of moisture are expected over parts of the western Dakotas. A few tenths of an inch is forecasted for the northern parts of the West, while the weather should remain dry from California to the southern High Plains. Colder-than-normal air will follow behind the front. The pattern will continue for May 6-14: Pacific weather systems should bring above-normal precipitation to southern Alaska then weaken as they move across the western U.S., and strengthen as they emerge over the central U.S. Above-normal precipitation is expected for the central third of the country, including the central and northern Plains, Great Lakes, and Mississippi and Ohio valleys. Dry weather is forecasted for northern Alaska, parts of the Far West, the Southwest and along the Rio Grande Valley, and most of Maine. Colder-than-normal temperatures are predicted for the north central states, while warmer-than-average conditions are expected along the Southwest, Gulf Coast, and Northeast peripheries. |
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| Dryness Categories |
D0 ... Abnormally Dry ... used for areas showing dryness but not yet in drought, or for areas recovering from drought. Updated April 30, 2008 |
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Forcasted Fire Danger - determined by the Remote Sensing Applications Center which is a joint partnership w/NASA, US Forest Service, USDA, and the University of Maryland. Please click on the image to the left for current information and legend
Fire Wx Zone Warnings and Watches determined thru by the Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC). Please click on the image to the left for current information and legend.
