Drought footprint shrinks a little more in HRW areas

Based on U.S. Drought Monitor, dryness/drought covers 87% of Texas (down three points from the previous week), 53% of Oklahoma (down eight points), 71% of Kansas (down a point), 100% of Colorado (unchanged), 98% of Nebraska (unchanged), 73% of South Dakota (unchanged) and 95% of Montana (unchanged).

Drought monitor commentary noted: “A large part of Oklahoma and parts of Texas and Louisiana were inundated with several inches of rain, over 6 inches in places. Heavy rain in central and northern Oklahoma, and in the Texas panhandle, southern Texas, and southeast Texas, resulted in the contraction of abnormal dryness and moderate to exceptional drought. Two inches or more of precipitation fell across southern and eastern parts of Kansas, central Colorado, and northeast Nebraska, while half an inch or more was widespread across North Dakota. Parts of Nebraska, northeast Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and eastern Montana received less than half an inch of precipitation. In Colorado, moderate to extreme drought contracted where it was wet, while severe and extreme drought expanded where it was dry. Abnormal dryness and moderate to extreme drought shrank in parts of Kansas. The rain ate a hole into severe drought in northeast Nebraska.”