Word Of The Day

Drought

The Dust Bowl Revisited

Latest Seasonal Assessment - The Outlook calls for some improvement for the severe drought covering much of the Southeast, although drought should persist well into summer. The areas with the best odds for improvement include the Gulf Coast, the southern and central Florida Peninsula, and the Carolinas. Despite scattered showers forecast for the region, no significant improvement is expected during the last half of May, and some areas, including the scene of the serious wildfire outbreaks in southern Georgia and northern Florida, may see deterioration. In contrast, normal rainfall should benefit southern Florida over at least the first 2 weeks of the forecast period. Despite the forecast for at least some improvement in most of the Southeastern drought areas by the end of August, complete eradication is unlikely as deficits accumulated since the first of the year exceed one foot in many locations. Tropical weather systems can potentially break droughts quickly, but future tracks of such storms are not known beyond a few days, adding to the uncertainty of seasonal forecasts. Elsewhere, the drought area that extends from California into the Great Basin is going into the dry season, so little lasting relief is expected in this region. The summer thunderstorm season running from July into September should bring some relief to Arizona. Farther north, forecasts for unseasonable warmth and dryness this summer result in a potential expansion of drought in Oregon and Idaho. Drought is expected to persist in Montana, Wyoming, the western Dakotas and western Nebraska, but improve in the Upper Midwest. Dryness may transition to drought in Hawaii, mainly in the leeward areas. Although drought is not forecast in Alaska, large areas have been unseasonably dry, and any future warm, dry weather could contribute to a serious wildfire season over the interior.