According to the November 22, 2022 U.S. Drought Monitor, moderate to exceptional drought covers 49.6% of the United States including Puerto Rico, a slight increase from last week’s 49.4%. The worst drought categories (extreme to exceptional drought) stayed about the same as last week at 11.7%.
A strong upper-level low pressure trough dominated the circulation over eastern North America during this U.S. Drought Monitor week (November 16-22). The trough stretched from Hudson Bay to the Great Lakes for much of the week, sending reinforcing blasts of cold Canadian air across the contiguous U.S. These persistent cold fronts gave the entire contiguous U.S. a week that was colder than normal. The Canadian air was generally dry and the dominant flow kept Gulf of Mexico moisture out of the country, making most of the contiguous U.S. drier than normal. Above-normal precipitation was seen only across southern Texas and southern Florida, where cold fronts were able to tap Gulf of Mexico moisture; to the lee of the Great Lakes, where the cold air moving over warm lake waters created lake effect snows that buried local areas; and spots in the Rockies and Appalachians to Mid-Atlantic coast. The trough shifted east, the circulation pattern flattened, and temperatures began to moderate as the week ended.
Meanwhile, an upper-level ridge along the west coast of North America brought weather that was warmer- and drier-than-normal to Alaska. The ridge also blocked Pacific weather systems from entering the western contiguous U.S., further contributing to the dry week.
The drought situation changed little this week. Drought and abnormal dryness contracted in a few parts of Montana and the southern Plains, but expanded or intensified in parts of the central Plains, Midwest, and Southeast.
Nationally, expansion slightly exceeded contraction, with the nationwide moderate to exceptional drought area slightly edging up this week. Abnormal dryness and drought are currently affecting over 211 million people across the United States including Puerto Rico—about 68.0% of the population.
The full U.S. Drought Monitor weekly update is available from Drought.gov.
In addition to Drought.gov, you can find further information on the current drought as well as on this week’s Drought Monitor update at the National Drought Mitigation Center.
The most recent U.S. Drought Outlook is available from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides information about the drought’s influence on crops and livestock.
For additional drought information, follow #DroughtMonitor on Facebook and Twitter.
