U.S. Drought Expands

Abnormally Dry to Severe Drought levels expand; Extreme to Exceptional Drought levels retreat

 Abnormally Dry to Severe Drought levels spread in the contiguous United States, while areas covered by  Extreme to Exceptional Drought levels retreat.

US Drought Map as of August 20, 2013, released by US Drought Monitor on  Thursday August 22, 2013.

Agricultural Disaster Designations due to the Drought

At least 1,333 counties across 28 states have now been designated agricultural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought so far this year. [The figure includes both the primary and contiguous drought disaster areas. ]

U.S. Drought Disaster Map as of August 21, 2013. At least 1,333 counties, or 42.41% of all U.S. counties*, were designated as agricultural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought, a rise of 0.41% (16 counties) since last week. [The figure includes both primary and contiguous disaster designations.] Source: USDA. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

*[U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.]

Related Links

• U.S. Drought Map – August 13, 2013
• Drought Disaster Declared in 37 Counties Across 5 States August 15, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared for Dozens of U.S. Counties August 8, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]
• Agricultural Disasters Index

1,333 U.S. Counties Now Designated Drought Disaster Areas

16 Additional Counties Designated as Agricultural Disaster Areas

At least 1,333 counties across 28 states have now been designated agricultural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought so far this year. [The figure includes both the primary and contiguous drought disaster areas. ]
U.S. Drought Disaster Map as of August 21, 2013. At least 1,333 counties, or 42.41% of all U.S. counties*, were designated as agricultural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought, a rise of 0.41% (16 counties) since last week. [The figure includes both primary and contiguous disaster designations.] Source: USDA. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

*[U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.]

Related Links

• U.S. Drought Map – August 13, 2013
• Drought Disaster Declared in 37 Counties Across 5 States August 15, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared for Dozens of U.S. Counties August 8, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]
• Agricultural Disasters Index

U.S. Drought Map – August 13, 2013

U.S. drought down fractionally, but more counties designated drought disaster areas

• As of August 13, 2013 about 57.30 percent of contiguous United States were affected by drought conditions, down slightly from 57.40 percent a week earlier.

• Some  45.26 percent of the land areas were covered by Moderate Drought (D1) to Exceptional Drought (D4), down from 45.49 percent.

US Drought Map as of August 13, 2013, released by US Drought Monitor on  August 15, 2013.

Map of U.S. Drought Disaster Areas

As of August 14, 2013 at least 1,317 U.S. counties were designated as primary or contiguous agricultural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought.

U.S. Drought Disaster Map as of August 14, 2013.  At least 1,317 counties, or 42% of all counties*, were designated as drought disaster areas. [The figure includes both primary and contiguous disaster designations.] Source: USDA. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

*[U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.]

Related Links

• Drought Disaster Declared in 37 Counties Across 5 States August 15, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared for Dozens of U.S. Counties August 8, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]
• Agricultural Disasters Index

U.S. Drought Expands Slightly

Extreme Drought, Abnormally Dry Levels in Lower 48 Expand Marginally

Areas covered by various drought levels in contiguous United States expanded marginally in the week ending August 6, 2013. D0 – D4 Drought levels covered 57.40 percent of the lower 48, up from 57.23 percent previous period.

The region worst affected by the drought was the South, where Exceptional Drought expanded to 3.75 percent, up from 3.04 percent earlier. The region’s D0 – D4 drought levels also expanded to 74.44 percent, up from 73.81 percent a week earlier.

US Drought Map as of August 6, 2013, released by US Drought Monitor on  August 8, 2013.

Related Links

• Agricultural Disaster Declared for Dozens of U.S. Counties August 8, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]

Drought Worsens in the U.S. West

Drought intensifies in Nevada, Oregon, Utah and the Dakotas

Drought intensified in the U.S. West over the past week.

D0-D4 drought levels generally persisted in California, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii, but eased slightly in Texas and New Mexico.

Drought conditions improved more significantly in Oklahoma, covering 52.77 percent of the state, down from 75.08 percent previously. In Arkansas, D0 – D2 drought areas were 71.01 percent, down from 90.94 percent last period. Kansas down to 87.80 percent, compared with 100 percent a week ago.

As of July 30, 2013, drought levels in the lower 48 improved slightly covering 57.23 percent of contiguous U.S., down from 58.30 percent previously.

Dry conditions in Iowa covered 70.18 percent of the land, up from 62.92 percent earlier.

As of July 31, 2013 some 1,295 U.S. counties across 28 states were designated as drought disaster areas by USDA. [The figure includes both primary and contiguous disaster designations.]

Related Links

• Disaster Declared for 98 Counties in 9 States August 1, 2013
• 2013 U.S. Drought Disaster Map August 1, 2013
• U.S. Drought Expands for 6th Consecutive Week July 26, 2013
• Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]

U.S. Drought Expands for 6th Consecutive Week

Drought and dry conditions expand in the U.S. South, West, Midwest and High Plains

The areas in contiguous U.S.  that are covered by ‘Abnormally Dry’ thru ‘Exceptional Drought’ (D0 – D4 on the Drought Monitor scale) have expanded to 58.30 percent for the week ending July 23, 2013, up from 54.39 percent a week earlier.

Abnormally dry areas in the U.S. Midwest, including the top crop state of Iowa, reached 18.94 percent, up from 7.16 percent.

Iowa has experienced a triple fold increase in the areas covered by abnormally dry condition, reaching 62.9 percent, compared to 19.8 percent earlier.

Dry conditions have also expanded in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota and Missouri.

Five additional Montana counties have been designated as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the expanding drought.

US Drought Map as of July 23, 2013, released by US Drought Monitor on  July 25, 2013.

About 64 percent of the topsoil in Arkansas was rated short or very short of moisture, with 24 percent of the state’s pasture and rangeland in poor or very poor condition.

California had 95 percent of its pasture and rangeland in poor or very poor condition. Colorado 64 percent, Kansas 55 percent, Texas 44 percent and Arizona had 79 percent so rated, according to July 22 U.S. Department of Agriculture crop progress report.

“Missouri had 60 percent of the topsoil short or very short of moisture, and Iowa had 57 percent so rated, which was a jump of 22 percent since last week.”

Related Links

• Drought Disaster Declared for Montana Counties July 25, 2013
• U.S. Drought Expands for 5th Straight Week July 18, 2013

• U.S. Drought Expands for 4th Week July 11, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared in 3 States July 18, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]

U.S. Drought Expands for 5th Straight Week

Drought persists in West, High Plains

“Moderate” to “Exceptional” drought areas (designated D1 to D4 on the chart) in lower 48 expanded to 46.13 percent, up from 44.85 percent a week ago, according to the US Drought Monitor.

• D1 to D4 drought areas in the South covered about 60.32 percent of the region, up from 54.97 percent a week ago.

• “Moderate” to “Exceptional” drought areas in the West covered about 76.84, up from 76.41 percent.
• High Plains saw the drought expanding this week to 67.00 percent, up from 66.22 percent.
• D0 to D1 drought levels in Midwest increased to 7.16 percent, up from 2.68 percent.

US Drought Map as of July 16, 2013, released by US Drought Monitor on  July 18, 2013.

Related Links

• U.S. Drought Expands for 4th Week July 11, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared in 3 States July 18, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]

U.S. Drought Expands for 4th Week

South driest in weeks, as drought persists in West

“Moderate” to “Exceptional” drought areas (designated D1 to D4 on the chart) in lower 48 expanded to 44.85 percent, up from 44.06 percent a week ago, according to the US Drought Monitor.

D1 to D4 drought areas in the South covered about 54.97 percent of the region, up from 49.62 percent a week ago.

US Drought Map as of July 9, 2013, released by US Drought Monitor on  July 11, 2013.

Selected Highlight of National Drought Summary – July 9, 2013

The Central and Southern Plains, and Lower Mississippi River Valley:  Dry conditions persisted across most of the southern Great Plains and Lower Mississippi River Valley. 

D0 was expanded to cover much of Arkansas and northwestern Louisiana … In a reassessment of conditions over Arkansas, a 2-category degradation (introduction of D1, moderate drought, where no drought was indicated in the previous map) was included as SPI-3, SPI6, and USGS (United States Geological Survey) real-time, 7-, and 14-day stream flows all indicated a rapid drying of the area. 

• Much of the same conditions were present across Oklahoma and Texas, so drought conditions intensified over those two states. 

• D2 (severe drought), D1 (moderate drought) and D0 (abnormal dryness) were expanded across much of eastern Texas. 

• Brazosport Water Authority implemented Stage 3 of its Drought Contingency Plan.   

• Inflows into the Lower Colorado River have trickled down to 10 cfs (from the Llano River) with Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan at 35 and 37 percent of capacity, respectively.  

• Medina Lake, near San Antonio is down to 5 percent capacity.  

• … across Oklahoma and southeastern Colorado, reports indicate sage brush and large trees dying and even some cacti turning brown. These reports come from the areas that have been in D4 (exceptional drought) for quite some time. 

• The percent of topsoil reports as short or very short from the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) across Texas increased by 13 percentage point, while it increased by 25 percentage points across Oklahoma.

Southwest and West: Some monsoon moisture streamed northward over the Southwest, making it as far north as the Great Salt Lake, bringing isolated rains to Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.  The heaviest rains (1.0 – 2.6 inches) were confined to southeastern Arizona and the highest of terrain in central New Mexico, therefore the rains had little impact on the drought in New Mexico.  US Drought Monitor

Related Links

• U.S. Drought Map – June 20 Release
• Drought Disaster Declared for 72 Counties in 9 States  May 31, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]

U.S. Drought Expands for 3rd Consecutive Week

Drought conditions in U.S. expand again amid relentless heat and aridity in southern Plains

“Moderate” to “Exceptional” drought levels (D1 – D4 on the Drought Monitor scale) in the contiguous United States grew to 44.06 percent, up from 43.84 percent a week ago, the US Drought Monitor reported.

US South: D0 to D4 Drought levels increased to 60.20 percent, from 55.68 a week ago.

US Drought Map as of July 2, 2013, released by US Drought Monitor on  July 3, 2013.

Drought Monitor Forecast:

Some rains associated with the southwest monsoon are also likely during the next 5 days.  Generally, less than 1.0 inches of rain is forecast across the Great Plains and Pacific Northwest.

Related Links

• U.S. Drought Map – June 20 Release
• Drought Disaster Declared for 72 Counties in 9 States  May 31, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]

U.S. Drought Map – June 27 Release

Severe and Extreme Drought Levels Spread in the West and South

‘Severe’ and ‘Extreme’ and Exceptional Drought’ levels—D2, D3 and D4 on the U.S. Drought Monitor Scale—increase in western United States from 51.90 to 56.71% since last week , while the South experienced a rise of about 1.7% in Severe and Extreme drought levels in the same period.

US Drought Map as of June 25, 2013, released by US Drought Monitor on June 27, 2013.

Related Links

• U.S. Drought Map – June 20 Release
• Drought Disaster Declared for 72 Counties in 9 States  May 31, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]