According to the April 11, 2023 U.S. Drought Monitor, moderate to exceptional drought covers 21.8% of the United States including Puerto Rico, a decrease from last week’s 23.6%. The worst drought categories (extreme to exceptional drought) decreased slightly from 4.5% last week to 4.4%.
The upper-level circulation across the contiguous U.S. began this U.S. Drought Monitor week (April 5-11) with a strong trough of low pressure over the West and a ridge of high pressure across the Gulf of Mexico to the East Coast. The trough migrated to the Northeast, bringing a surface low across the Great Lakes and dragging a cold front across the eastern half of the contiguous U.S. The front tapped Gulf of Mexico moisture to spread above-normal precipitation across southern Texas to the Carolina Coast.
The surface low generated above-normal precipitation over parts of the Great Lakes to the northern Plains. Meanwhile, a couple new Pacific weather systems that moved across the Pacific Northwest brought above-normal precipitation to Washington and coastal Oregon. Southern Florida also had a wetter-than-normal week. But the rest of the contiguous U.S. was drier than normal, with little to no precipitation falling over the Southwest to the central Plains.
Weekly temperatures averaged warmer than normal over the East and generally cooler than normal over the West to much of the Plains. Drought or abnormal dryness expanded or intensified where it continued to dry in parts of the central to southern Plains and Mid-Atlantic to southern New England. Drought or abnormal dryness contracted or reduced in intensity across much of the West and parts of the northern Plains, southern and eastern Texas, the Southeast, the Carolinas, and Puerto Rico.
Nationally, contraction exceeded expansion, with the nationwide moderate to exceptional drought area decreasing this week. Abnormal dryness and drought are currently affecting over 108 million people across the United States including Puerto Rico—about 35.0% 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.
