Rain Eases Drought Across 4 Plains States as Southern Kansas, North Dakota Worsen
Updated
Updated · Coyote Gulch · Aug 20
Rain Eases Drought Across 4 Plains States as Southern Kansas, North Dakota Worsen
3 articles · Updated · Coyote Gulch · Aug 20
Summary
Eastern Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and northern Kansas posted drought improvements after 1 to 3 inches of rain fell across wide areas during the past week.
Southern Kansas deteriorated under warm, dry flash-drought conditions, while most of North Dakota stayed dry and saw broader degradation, with only small improved pockets in the southwest and northwest.
Extreme drought still grips western South Dakota and western Nebraska, extending into much of Wyoming and central to western Colorado; exceptional drought remains in western Nebraska and parts of Colorado.
The same pattern left the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley hot and largely dry, worsening crop and water conditions in states including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
The next 5 days favor more rain along parts of the Atlantic coast and eastern Midwest, but Texas is expected to stay drier than normal into the Aug. 25-29 outlook.