Rains have little to no impact on Northern Plains drought
Rain fell on the Southern Plains and from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast, easing drought in those areas, according to today’s National Drought Monitor. Precipitation also fell in the South and in some areas of the Midwest, but the southeast and Southwest remained dry.
On the High Plains, temperatures were cool, but precipitation did little to change drought conditions in the region. In fact, severe drought was introduced over southeast South Dakota, and the area affected by moderate drought and abnormal dryness expanded in the state. All of North Dakota is affected by abnormal dryness or drought, with 93% of the state classified as severe drought or worse.
Conditions were also cool in the Midwest the week ending June 1. Today’s drought summary notes, “Dry conditions dominated Iowa, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin into the upper peninsula of Michigan, and southern portions of Indiana and Ohio. In the northern portions of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, improvements to abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions were made in response to a series of rain events.” Roughly 62% of Iowa is dealing with abnormal dryness or drought, with the northwest part of the state the hardest-hit.
