USDA Drought Monitor (10/13): First Freeze of Season Affecting Parts of Midwest

According to today's Drought Monitor report of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), following a drier-than-normal September for a majority of the contiguous U.S., this dry pattern continued into early October for many areas. Therefore, drought coverage increased and intensified throughout the Pacific Northwest, Great Plains, Ohio River Valley, and Southeast.

From October 4-10, heavy rainfall (1 to 3 inches) was limited to the northern Mid-Atlantic, southern New England, and parts of the Southwest. New Mexico was especially wet this past week and this much above-normal precipitation extended eastward into west Texas. 7-day temperatures, ending on October 10, averaged above-normal across the West. Cooler-than-normal temperatures were observed from the Mississippi Valley to the East Coast with the first freeze of the season affecting parts of the Midwest.

Increasing short-term precipitation deficits and declining soil moisture supported an expansion of abnormal dryness (D0) across Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. This increase in D0 coverage is consistent with 30 to 60-day SPI values. Moderate drought (D1) was also expanded across Illinois based on 30-day SPI along with streamflows along the Kankakee, Illinois, and Vermillion Rivers.

A broad expansion of D1 was required throughout Kentucky due to a prolonged dry spell since August. This D1 coverage is consistent with 60-day SPI and is also supported by NASA SPoRT soil moisture. According to the Paducah National Weather Service Office, Paducah had its driest August 1 – October 11 on record with only 2.12 inches of precipitation.

Multiple reports from the following counties in Kentucky (Livingston, Fulton, Webster, Marion, Carlisle, Trigg, and Ballard) indicate poor pastures and low ponds. In addition, low flows persist along the lower Ohio River. 30 to 120-day SPIs supported 1-category degradations throughout much of the southern two-thirds of Missouri along with parts of Iowa.

The extreme drought (D3) expansion in northwestern Iowa was based on longer-term SPIs and very low soil moisture percentiles. South of Lake Superior, severe drought (D2) was expanded due to a very dry summer and 120-day SPI. D0 and D1 was increased across northeastern and western Wisconsin based on SPIs at various time scales.

For the full USDA report for Oct. 13, click here.