Drought impacting the Plains expands in the north

The March 3rd drought monitor shows 77% of the U.S. is experiencing abnormal dryness or drought, up 2.7% from the previous week, with 54.8% in D1 level drought or higher, up 3.7%. Currently 51% (up 10%) of corn acres are in D1-D4 drought with 53% (up 9%) of soybean acres, and 56% (up 6%) of winter wheat acres also impacted. For livestock, 57% (up 8%) of the U.S.cattle herd is in D1-D4 drought conditions with 38% (up 3%) of dairy cattle also in drought.

Warmer than usual winter weather continues to dominate the central U.S., with the higher temperatures causing drought to intensify in the northern Plains, although conditions remain better than those in the southern Plains. The National Weather Service also noted that areas around the Kentucky-Illinois border had received their driest meteorological winter (December through February) on record. Further south, rainfall in Alabama and Georgia helped to mitigate worsening of drought conditions this week.

The National Weather Service expects a belt of rainfall to occur next week, beginning in Texas and moving eastward to the inland Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys before ultimately dispersing around the Appalachian Mountains and failing to bring drought relief to areas along the mid-Atlantic coast. Temperatures in the southern U.S. are also expected to remain warmer than average. Some much needed snow-pack is also expected in the central and northern portions of the Rocky Mountains, although it will likely not entirely ease the impacts of the persistent drought in the region.

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